Naruto: Newbies
by Scarlette Shizuru
Summary: The Naruto teams meet new members and a five member team? I do not own any Naruto characters except the OCs! Story currently undergoing renovation. Revamped: Chapter 31 up! XD
1. Combined Teams

**Me: I don't own Naruto!**

Chapter 1 – Combined Teams

7:30 AM.

Naruto cheerfully jumped out of bed before slurping up a whole bowl of instant ramen. He dashed towards his cabinet and threw on his clothes along with tying his forehead guard tightly; his eyes gleamed with pride. The silver plate glimmered under the small pool of light trespassing through his window as the symbol of _Konohagakure _caused the blonde boy's blue eyes to beam excitedly. Zipping up his orange jumpsuit, Naruto abandoned the idea of using the front door and simply leapt out the window instead. The said boy landed at the ground with cat-like grace and vanished from anybody's line of sight, meeting up with Sakura and Sasuke by the bridge both who were impatiently tapping their foot on the ground.

"Sorry I'm late," Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his head, grinning abashedly. "I can't believe you guys didn't even bother eating breakfast!"

Sasuke scoffed at his blonde teammate. "We did, you dobe. You probably lost the eating marathon to a turtle with the speed you were at."

Naruto glared daggers before bumping foreheads with Sasuke, puffing up his cheeks. "Grrr, what did you say?"

"I said: You probably lost the eating marathon to a turtle," Sasuke reiterated with a smirk, folding his arms but maintaining the same glaring intensity. "Unless, you forgot that Kakashi instructed us to meet up here at seven!"

Sakura noticed people started staring at them curiously, trying her best to quiet down Naruto. "Naruto, quiet! People are beginning to look at us!"

The pink haired _kunoichi_'s scolding fell on deaf ears as Naruto forced back Sasuke's forehead with his own. "I didn't forget! My alarm clock didn't ring!"

Sasuke and Naruto prepared themselves to get involved in a fist fight, pulling back their arms for a severe bashing until a poof of smoke appeared in front of them – revealing Kakashi.

"Kakashi-_sensei_," Naruto jumped up jovially with a childish grin. "What mission are we doing today?"

The silver haired masked man chuckled before ruffling Naruto's hair. "Well, this time – we have a special request and it's a pretty high ranking mission. I'm sure you'll find it to your appeal, Naruto."

The blonde boy jumped, kicking his feet together. "Yippee!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, ignoring Naruto's cheerful outburst. "So, who's the client?"

Sakura swooned at Sasuke's calm, collective state while Naruto let out a disgruntled snort. Kakashi shook his head dejectedly at the three kids, wondering how this bunch became a team if they were made of a fan girl [Sakura], hyperactive boy [Naruto] and an emo genius [Sasuke]. However, Iruka never made a mistake in placing teams together but the combination he chose to place under him truly baffled the silver haired _Jounin_.

"By the way," Kakashi reminded with a cheerful expression, stopping Sasuke and Naruto from killing each other again. "We'll be working with another team today. Apparently, the one who sent in the request asked for two _shinobi_ teams to work. We're meeting them here," –looking far beyond the bridge, a man along with five people behind him walked towards them. "Ah here they are."

Naruto jumped up in anticipation while Sakura and Sasuke warily watched the people approach them, noticing six people coming.

"Taichi," Naruto beamed a navy bluenette walking towards him, squeezing him with a big hug. "How have you been?"

Taichi grinned goofily at his good friend with a slap on the back. "I've been great, foxy!"

"Way to go, salamander," Naruto laughed as they both were jumping up and down like little children in Kindergarten, earning weird gazes from the others.

Kakashi acknowledged the other _Jounin_ with a small nod. "I heard your group has been doing higher ranked missions, Takagi."

Takagi, sheepishly scratching his shaggy brown hair, smiled affirmatively. "Well, we are a bigger group so; we're forced to take higher ranked missions. Oh, you're taking a team now?"

Kakashi chuckled before gesturing to the three ninjas, sighing nonchalantly. "The blonde boy's Naruto, pink haired girl's Sakura and the black haired boy over there standing by the rail is Sasuke. How about yours?"

Takagi returned the chuckle with an abashed smile. "Well, the navy bluenette over there in green is Yamato Taichi, the blonde boy with the scarf is Hyuuga Gray, the triple streaked brunette is Uchiha Mimi, the red head is Yamanaka Izumi and the brown haired girl over there with the weapons is Uzami Manyama."

Kakashi's eyes slightly widened, glancing over at the sour-faced female and the ever-hyperactive boys. "Did... you just say... Yamato Taichi and Uchiha Mimi?"

Takagi chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head. "I was figuring you'd say that. Yes, it is **the** Yamato Taichi and one of the last survivors – Uchiha Mimi."

_Figures why Naruto and him can get along so well,_ Kakashi blinked a few times until he saw Izumi and Sakura both swooning over Sasuke. "Holy God..."

"Izumi, you promised," Takagi warned her sternly as the red head sulked away to stand next to Manyama. "Mimi..."

Uchiha Mimi, observing her teammates, glared daggers the moment she made eye contact with Sasuke as her voice became low and demonic. "You...!"

Sasuke scoffed as Mimi lunged at him with her _kunai, _screaming for bloody murder. The male Uchiha kicked high to send her flying but Mimi sailed through the air to dodge his leg and land her own kick against his shoulder. However, Sasuke jumped back to avoid another hit as Mimi began her performance of _Jutsu _seals – smirking triumphantly.

"You're mine," she hissed venomously, inhaling deeply. "_Katon: Goukkakyou no Jutsu_!" [Fire Element: Grand Fire Ball Technique]

A huge fireball screamed towards Sasuke who prepared to dodge it until Kakashi and Takagi interfered with the silver haired _Jounin_ neutralizing the _Jutsu_ and Takagi locking Mimi in a full-nelson despite her struggling kicks and screams. Kakashi brandished a _kunai_ in front of him while watching Mimi howl angrily with Takagi visibly wincing with the kicks slamming against his ribs.

"I didn't know she was unstable," Kakashi raised an eyebrow, relaxing his stance a bit. "Are you sure...?"

"She's usually not like this," Takagi struggled with a surprised expression. "Mimi, stop."

The brunette hissed darkly before allowing her body to limply hang form Takagi's grip. Her ebony eyes promised Sasuke his funerals as she was let off and allowed to stand next to Gray. Takagi sighed dejectedly before bowing apologetically to his fellow _Jounin_.

"She never broke out like that unless," Takagi reviewed his knowledge regarding the Uchiha clan; his eyes widening as realization dawned upon him. "This boy is the brother of the murderer...?"

Sasuke curled his hand into a fist tightly while Mimi bristled viciously at the word 'murderer'.Izumi and Sakura however began their glaring match as they began snapping at each other to stay away from the Uchiha male. Taichi and Naruto remained bubbly in their own conversation while Manyama tried to pacify Mimi and prevent her from lashing again at her teammate.

"You stay away from him, Billboard Brow," Izumi spat glacially while narrowing her eyes, increasing her stature. "The boy is mine!"

Sakura scoffed while angrily staring back at the red haired girl, shoving Izumi back. "Sure he is, you painted maypole! You stay away from him! He's my teammate!"

"What would he like in a pink haired hussy like you," Izumi retorted back with her hands firmly locked on her hips. "You may be smart but you don't do squat! I on the other hand am balanced with a hint of finesse!"

Finally irritated, Mimi grabbed her _kunai_ and threw it in between them glaring. "IF YOU GUYS DON'T SHUT UP NOW, I WILL FUCKING NAIL YOUR MOUTHS SHUT AND RIP YOUR DAMN TONGUES OUT! DO I MAKE MYSELF PERFUCKINGFECTLY CLEAR!"

Kakashi exchanged glances with Takagi. "You allow her to swear?"

"I've been trying to break her habit," Takagi sighed while glancing hopefully at the other three, embarrassed at the girls' antics. "At least Manyama doesn't have a problem with working with other people. Gray's probably the most mature among the five and Taichi clearly doesn't care about Sasuke."

"That's because I prefer working on my skills and missions than rambling," Manyama responded good-naturedly, shrugging her shoulders. "It's what gets us through the world right?"

Gray remained completely stolid throughout the situation. "We should be going."

Takagi and Kakashi forced the three to reach a truce as they went to the gate of _Konohagakure_ where stood five young men and a woman being shielded by a carrier throne. As the curtains parted, the young woman gracefully descended with her raven black hair cascading down her shoulders and her bright blue eyes sparkling with nobility. Kakashi blinked for a few moments as the young lady folded her fan and tucked it in her _obi_.

"I hope you're exactly as good as people regard," she folded her arms haughtily, staring down at the other members. "I didn't ask for kids to be my protectors! Another is that – if you don't escort me properly, my father will have you all thrown in the dungeon and executed when we get back to the Sun Country!"

Takagi twitched a bit, massaging his temples. _Some A-class mission this is... couldn't the Hokage do it? Oh yeah, he had other stuff to attend to._

Kakashi responded wordlessly but wondered how much more of her rambling she could take.

However, Naruto scrunched up his nose before staring back at the woman. "Geez, we're the best of this village! Believe it!"

The young woman vehemently shook her head before flouncing away. "Humph, I'll believe you when I see it! Come on now, Princess Amaterasu does not wish to be kept waiting!"

Manyama shook her head disbelievingly at the woman who flounced away with her guards. "What the heck – she refers to herself in the third person?"

Gray remained silent but resisted the urge to voice out his desire to simply move ahead. However, nerves started tingling in his back as he cautiously advanced forward despite having the princess ramble about all sorts of things. He noticed her casting a smile towards him to which he promptly ignored while analysing any movements in the trees. Leaves rustled slowly as the wind blew past him before he stopped in his tracks. Sasuke too, halted his movements as both of them allowed the wind to circulate around.

"Sasuke," Kakashi raised an eyebrow before smiling inwardly. _Good, he's feeling what I'm feeling. Although, -_he cast a sideward glance towards Gray. _How is he a Hyuuga without the trademark white eyes? Did the Hyuuga even know about his existence?_

Takagi dropped a hand lightly on Gray's shoulder, searching around with a small smile. "You didn't even need the _Byakkugan_ to sense them – did you?"

Sakura ogled at Sasuke's cold, calculating and calm stare, swooning completely. "Kya~, Sasuke-_kun_ is so amazing!"

Naruto snorted in annoyance while Taichi folded his arms with a disgruntled snort before throwing dirty looks at Sasuke. However, the navy bluenette understood Gray's prowess of being the "Eye" of Team Takagi while he and Mimi did most of the damage. He readied his _kunai_ from his shooter before checking any disturbance among the bushes, leaving Mimi, Manyama and Izumi to quickly move near the princess and her guards. Kakashi noticed their no signal strategy as Mimi readied herself with a barrage of fireballs, watching their eyes shift darkly.

"What's going on," Amaterasu stamped her foot on the ground angrily. "Why's everyone so tense?"

Gray's eyes widened as he vanished from his spot as one of the guards swung their blade towards the princess, earning him an ear-piercing shriek. Mimi quickly performed her seals before inhaling deeply for a huge fire ball only to reinforce it with her other technique. Izumi drew out aconite-root poison laced needles before piercing the other guards who began their assault. Manyama hurled out chains from her sleeves while Taichi created a stone wall to guard the princess.

_Shit,_ Sasuke silently berated himself as he readied a kick only to have Gray speed up his punching ability with his eyes changing into a bright white colour from their normal emerald green.

"_Rengeki_," Mimi narrowed her eyes before shooting another fire ball, performing another set of seals. "_Katon: Houdangan no Jutsu!" _[Fire Element: Fire Bullet Spray]

The Grand Fireball technique split into five as it started chasing after each soldier with Izumi placing a flower in the ground with seals. "_Ougi_, _Jubaku Sansen_!" [Special Technique, Tree Binding Triangle]

Three sets of trees and vines sprouted, binding the assailants in the form of a triangle as Naruto stumbled back with awe and Sakura could barely move a muscle. Kakashi jumped into the fray as a spear nearly punched a hole through the princess' defence. Gray changed his position before unleashing his set of strikes.

"_Hakke,"_ Gray's white eyes gleamed darkly and coldly, engulfing his hands with _chakra_ as an effect of the _Byakkugan_. "_Rokujyon Sho_!" [Eight Trigrams, Sixty Four Palms]

The soldier vomited a large amount of blood as Gray dealt the last blow to his heart, sending him flying. Taichi punched the ground, allowing rocks and the earth to surround his hand before making it into a huge fist. Manyama unfurled her scrolls before performing a set of seals, unleashing a whole barrage of needles and blades. Izumi somersaulted over one of them as Mimi appeared in front of the guy with the Yamanaka planting her hands into the ground with the _Jubaku Sansen _binding their opponent. Mimi landed a blow to the ribs, cracking it as a psychotic smile appeared on her lips.

"_Doton, Tsuchiken_," Taichi leapt forward before punching the man far past him, hurling him towards Gray who landed a kick on the man's shoulder. [Earth Element: Stone Fist]

As the guards fled in horror, Team Takagi, Sasuke, Kakashi and Takagi took a heavy breather before calming their pulsing hearts from beating right out of their chests. Princess Amaterasu stood there, downright terrified and pale. The stone wall crashed down back into the soil as Naruto witnessed his best friend's combat ability first hand. They continued on with escorting the princess, despite her trembling state of terror and found a safe spot to gather some provisions.

"You guys stay put," Kakashi instructed before standing up, beckoning Takagi to go with him. "I'm going to see if there are any shortcuts to the Sun Country."

As the two _Jounin_ vanished, the princess let out a haughty sigh before watching the eight cope up with the battle before them. Mimi sharpened her knives and needles, putting it in the fire once in awhile to make it more malleable for moulding. Manyama rechecked her storage of weapons while Izumi went searching nearby for poisonous plants. Gray remained quiet before moulding a small puddle of water into ice, creating a small ice angel. Ignoring Sakura's observing him, Sasuke leaned against his elbows, watching the dancing flames while Naruto and Taichi excitedly started giving each other a blow-to-blow perspective of the assassination attempt that had just occurred.

"How can you guys be so calm," the princess stood up immediately whilst stamping on the ground exasperatedly, frustrated how calm the kids could be and two being extremely noisy about it or perhaps being excited about their first real-life battle. "You guys could have died! Those soldiers specialize in taking down people like ninjas! I should know – they are my personal bodyguards! How did you guys even know they were going to try something?"

Gray reduced the ice angel back to its beginning form and instead started playing around with the small water ball. "It's not the first time it happened."

"What's the use of panicking," Sasuke monotonously responded before stretching his legs a bit. "We'll end up dead if we do."

Sakura recited one of the ninja tenets before pulling out a small piece of bread from her bag. "In the 25th tenet of a ninja, we are instructed not to show emotion as to make sure that the opponent doesn't take advantage of us. Also, it is to ensure the success of the mission."

Izumi scoffed before tossing back her bright red hair, tightening her forehead guard. "Besides, unlike you – we're not given the luxury to be protected by four walls of a castle."

This earned her an upside whack on the head from the weapon specialist. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Be nice," Manyama chided the red haired Yamanaka member before packing away her scrolls. "Hmm, that's taking them sometime."

"I'd say," Taichi glanced around while tapping Gray on the shoulder. "Hey, you wanna use _Byakkugan_?"

Gray closed his eyes for a moment; his ears started twitching slightly until a snapping of a branch echoed loudly in the air. "Everyone get out!"

Much to their surprise, a rain of _kunai_ and needles came down – piercing the ground and revealing several other ninjas. Their forehead guards revealed the symbol of _Getsugakure_ as they lunged after the princess with their blades singing into the air. Soon, Kakashi and Takagi jumped into the fray the moment they heard the clash of steel before upping the offensive against the ninjas. Gray and Sasuke quickly pulled out a defence as the Uchiha caught the sword with his bare hands while Gray unleashed a large amount of impact with a simple extension of his arm. More _Getsugakure_ ninjas ambushed from behind with their swords coming straight at them.

Sakura backtracked with panic clearly written across her face. "How are we gonna stop all of them at once? We're surrounded!"

Takagi smirked before passing a signal to Gray. "There is a way..."

Gray visualized the technique passed down to him long time ago, closing his eyes. With _chakra_ building up around him, the blonde Hyuuga ninja spun around with a circular dome engulfing almost the entire team to create a defensive blow-back attack.

"_Hakkesho Kaiten_," –a blue dome of _chakra_ surrounded them with the ninjas flying back due to the impact. [Eight Trigrams, Heavenly Spin]

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly with Sasuke slightly gaping with shock and annoyance. _What? I thought only Hinata was from the Main House!_

Swords flew back and forth as Kakashi blocked one with his gloves. However, he failed to realize that several ninjas unfurled a set of chain sickles that wrapped around his body – constricting his movement before being torn apart into pieces.

"Kakashi-_sensei_," Sakura and Naruto chorused at the same, panicking with a horrified expression visibly etched onto their faces.

Taichi pounded one ninja with the _Tsuchiken_ only to find out later that Takagi had been skewered and impaled by five different ninjas. "Takagi-_sensei_!"

Amaterasu screamed in horror as Takagi fell to the ground, limp and bloody with Izumi standing in front of her for defensive measures. Manyama unleashed a whole assault of weapons flying towards them only to have them either avoided or piercing the undesired part. Sakura nearly staggered back, leaving her open for an attack for another ninja until a huge black flame consumed him, revealing the female Uchiha staring right past her shoulder.

"_Amaterasu_," Mimi's dark eyes transmogrified into a bloody vermillion hue with a black seven rayed sun for pupils before she winced with the pain inflicted. _God, I'm gonna go blind after all this._

_Tch,_ Gray increased his punching speed before striking at several _chakra_ points and kicking one away. Nodding at Manyama, Gray waited for the opponent as Manyama flung him a ninja towards his direction as the blonde Hyuuga ninja blasted the _chakra_ point at the centre of his chest. Izumi snaked a thorny whip towards her opponent only to have him appear behind her and _Amaterasu_ if not for Naruto's timely save with the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu _[Shadow Clone Technique]. With several punches and kicks, Naruto revealed his _Uzumaki Naruto Rendan _with a cheeky grin. [Uzumaki Naruto Barrage]

Mimi unleashed a large array of fireballs which caused them to run towards Sasuke's direction in which he released a variety of punches and kicks. The male Uchiha spotted some of Manyama's stray weapons and proceeded to wield the _Kusari-gama_ until Takagi and Kakashi revealed themselves with an instantaneous assault of slashes and beatings. The ninjas quickly fled, realizing the combat level of each member before vanishing into the forest.

"Whoa, you're still alive," Naruto's crestfallen expression became bubbly and cheerful again.

Kakashi ruffled his student's hair with a sheepish grin, chuckling in response. "Well, we had to watch to see which of you are truly capable of handling the mission. You didn't do too badly, Naruto."

Naruto jumped up with glee while Takagi went over to evaluate his team, sighing approvingly. "That was amazing teamwork. A few points however: Mimi, do not recklessly use your _Mangenkyou Sharingan._ You're only 12 years old. Gray, your movements are slowing down – increase it a little. Izumi, watch your opponent not Sasuke and Manyama, your aiming still needs a bit of tweaking. Taichi, do not rely only one technique to take down your opponent – be innovative, you got a lot of _chakra_ to spare."

Gray nodded with Mimi letting out a childish huff while Izumi pursed her lips with discontentment. Taichi glanced at his hand before looking at the earth beneath him whereas Manyama scrunched up her nose in response. However, the shaggy haired _Jounin_ ruffled Taichi's hair while giving them a proud smile, enclosing the five with a group hug.

"Well, this was a first time that we actually encountered rebel _ANBU_ from _Getsugakure _nonetheless," Takagi pondered a bit, replaying the battle sequences in his head. "But, those weren't the real thing... was it? The skill level and combat abilities were outrageously dismal."

Gray narrowed his eyes, balling his hands into fists. "_Sensei_, is it just me or is it that the things we fought were actually clones?"

Mimi shook her head distastefully, continuing to search around. "Yep, they were clones. I had my _Mangenkyou_ seeing nothing but little balls of _chakra_."

"Their flow was too erratic," Gray glanced around until the leaves rustled louder than ever. "It's a two step thing: weaken and then... go in for the kill."

The moment Gray finished his sentence, the real _ANBU_ showed up with their swords coming down on them. One of them grinned toothily at Gray who struggled against the weight of the sword.

"Good deduction, kid," he sneered before forcing Gray to his knees until the boy went for a sweeping kick, sending the said man to the ground.

Mimi laughed maniacally as she released her _Genjutsu_, encasing a whole set of ninjas within a single area. "_Hijutsu,_ _Debiru no Kurohitsugi_!" [Secret Art, Devil's Black Coffin]

The _ANBU_ howled agonizingly as she let out a sardonic grin whereas Izumi slashed past them with her whip, dancing around with several whipping patterns. Sakura finally gained courage to begin her attack as Naruto jumped into the fray without noticing anything while bringing down a few men. One of the _ANBU_ however kicked Manyama hard in the gut before giving Sasuke a good face plant into the ground. With a few seals, he locked the _Kanashibari no Jutsu_ [Temporary Paralysis] on Taichi before going after Naruto while his other teammates cornered the other _Genin_.

"Gray, Manyama," Takagi blocked three of them before swinging around for a roundhouse kick. "Defend the princess – make sure nothing gets near her!"

The blonde Hyuuga ninja and the brunette weapons specialist leapt over to the princess, blocking any flying projectiles. A needle zipped past Manyama's cheek as another flying blade tore off Gray's scarf, revealing a scar beneath going diagonal towards his left eye. As the blue scarf fell on the ground, Gray started performing seals.

"_Yuki Choshuu_," Gray's green eyes glimmered with malevolence and murderous intent as snow fell down; he started combining another set of seals. [Snow Collection Technique]

Sakura looked around and at the sky. "Wait a minute, it's not winter yet..."

Kakashi cast a glance to Takagi as the man smiled.

"I guess Gray finally snapped," Takagi sighed before passing a glance to his blonde subordinate, waiting for . _I wonder which technique he's planning to use._

"_Hyouton,_ _Juhaku no Jutsu_," Gray slammed his palm against the earth as a tremor rumbled, revealing a white tree to have sprouted from below. [Ice Element, White Tree technique]

Silence penetrated the tension of the battle as only the distance cawing of a raven could be heard. The snow had stopped falling whereas the bodies of the _ANBU_ lay impaled on the frozen branches, letting their blood trickle down against the trunk of the tree. Taichi on the other hand remained completely paralysed, struggling violently against the technique. Kakashi observed the boy's frozen state before sighing regretfully at the navy blue haired ninja.

"You'll have to hurt yourself," Kakashi blatantly stated, watching the said boy's black eyes widened with horror.

Taichi vibrated with fear resonating in his tone. "No way – I'm not that crazy!"

"This technique affects the brain itself," Kakashi explained while glancing at the _Jutsu_ placed on Taichi, remaining stony with his expression. "It's either that or we leave you here."

Gray opened his mouth to say something but Kakashi sent him a warning glance to shut up. Mimi activated her _Mangenkyou_ but didn't give away the secret to how to break the technique as a sadistic grin appeared on her face. Manyama analysed the _Jutsu_ and found no other way, waiting for her cousin to make his choice.

Taichi stared into the void for a moment, struggling to reach for his _kunai_ limply hanging out of his shooter. His hands trembled from the force of the technique still applied onto his body as the navy bluenette boy made sure he had complete stability with his hands before he stabbed anything else like his toes.

"That's downright cruel, Kakashi," Takagi furrowed his eyebrows at the fellow _Jounin_. "We all know that..."

"That's the way I handle my students," Kakashi interrupted smoothly, shrugging nonchalantly. "If he doesn't understand the concept of pain, he won't understand anything."

"Alright," Taichi grinned cheekily, holding the _kunai_ near his face. "Let's do this! You don't have to worry about me..."

Without hesitation, Taichi impaled his hand as his blood splattered on the ground – allowing him much more movement and dispelling the _Jutsu_. Mimi slapped her own forehead, wondering whether or not she should have just told him the bloodless solution because the princess nearly fainted from the sight of it. Gray sighed into his palm while Izumi and Manyama wondered how crazy he actually was. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, Naruto and Sakura found Taichi completely undisturbed despite his insane attempt to dispel the _Jutsu_.

"_Baka_," Gray twitched considerably before grabbing Taichi's hand. "Didn't you bother remembering that all you had to do is the _cancel_ seal? Or do you actually have the attention span of a goldfish?"

Taichi pondered for a moment before exchanging glances with his bloodied hand and an incredulous stare from his coffee blonde teammate. After several moments passed, Taichi's dark eyes widened with horror as he began swinging his hand all over the place.

"WAH, WHY DIDN'T ANYONE SAY SO," Taichi started running around in circles, screaming and wailing for dear life.

Takagi quickly intervened to pacify the panicking bluenette, grabbing his hand. "Taichi, stop waving your hand around! The more you do – the faster you'll bleed!"

"NOOOOO," Taichi yowled even louder until Takagi slapped the back of his head. "Ouch..."

Takagi shook his head disbelievingly before observing Taichi's hand in which the wound had mysteriously healed already, leaving the remnants of blood on his hand. The brown haired _Jounin_ blinked several times before wiping up the wound until a huge _shuriken_ zipped past them, slashing through the trees.

Mimi somersaulted over it, grabbing the _shuriken_ before throwing it back towards its source. The black _shuriken_ vanished until a ninja leapt from the trees and landed right on the branches.

"It seems to me we're going to cross each others' paths again, Takagi."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**I'm going to be renovating this story and making it much better. Hopefully, I get to renovate several of my stories and still maintain the consistency of the plotline. After this, I'll post the sequel. Please don't forget to review!**


	2. Comrade to Foe

**Me: I don't own Naruto!**

Chapter 2 – Comrade to Foe

Takagi widened his battle stance, narrowing his eyes at the olive green haired male before drawing out a _kunai_. "Yuhara Garasu, I should have known."

"You were always the perceptive one," Garasu lowered his black mask, revealing a scar on his cheek. "Again I wonder, what made you change village in the first place? Didn't you want to be widely known as _Getsukage,_ Jonouchi Ren?"

Takagi bristled at the sound of his old name, shaking his head disgustedly. "I couldn't run things the way he did. That old man did nothing but make my life miserable. Life would make you realize many things. Some lessons are learnt from experience in a third person's point of view."

Garasu drew out his _zonbatou_, licking it affectionately. "So – which rabbit do I pursue first? There are so many cute rabbits to choose from~."

Takagi twitched visibly as the lower ranked ninjas watched him warily and fearfully, waiting for his next move. The branch snapped as leaves rustled into the air while Takagi sprinted forward to block the attack. Clashes of steel echoed throughout the forest as sparks flew into the air; shadows zooming back and forth. Kakashi leapt into the fray, pulling Garasu down with the _Doton; Shinju Zanshu_ _no Jutsu_ [Earth Element; Inner Decapitation Skill]. However, the olive green haired male kicked Takagi before releasing himself from the rubble constricting him. Taichi and the other seven proceeded to defend the princess as Garasu continued his attack.

"You know it's funny," Garasu chuckled darkly as he swung his sword over Takagi's head, kicking Kakashi away. "It's funny that you – a former _Kage'_s son would actually abandon the village he was moulded to raise. You're a particular fellow."

Takagi sprung off the trunk of a tree before lashing out with a series of slashes with his _kunai_. "Like I said, there are things that my old man was capable of that I wasn't. So, he exiled me."

"You're meant for better stuff," Garasu snorted at his former comrade, grabbing a hold of Takagi's vest and slamming the said ninja against the tree. "What kind of idiot are you? You adopted two marionettes! At the same time, you formed a team with a lizard, an _oiran_ and a toothpick thrower. Did your intelligence take a drastic drop after moving to _Konohagakure_? _Getsukage-sama_ would be most displeased with the results of his eldest child."

Takagi's molten gold eyes shimmered darkly as he kicked the _Getsugakure_ ninja away from him. "Gray and Mimi are not marionettes."

Taichi stamped his foot on the ground childishly, jabbing his finger in Garasu's direction. "I'M NOT A LIZARD!"

Manyama quickly placed her hand in front of Taichi, slowly unsheathing her modified _kunai_. "Wait, keep quiet. This guy's more dangerous than you think he is!"

Garasu sneered haughtily as he threw three big _shurikens_ towards him. "Well, let's see you avoid this!"

Two _shurikens_ flew behind Takagi while one came straight towards him. With a somersault, the brunette avoided the first one but noticed the other two heading straight for his head and lower torso. His eyes widened with horror and anger, realizing his carelessness too late until Gray and Mimi leapt up into the air and caught the blade with their _kunai_. The _shurikens_ ceased to spin as both _Genin_ returned his weapons with it aiming for his head. With a bemused chuckle, the Moon Village ninja vanished from Takagi's line of sight and kicked the two hard and brought down his sword on Gray's left shoulder.

"Gray, Mimi, don't fight him," Takagi dashed towards them as Garasu continued his attack against the two _Genin_. "He's way beyond your level!"

Mimi, ignoring Takagi's pleas, activated her _Mangenkyou_ _Sharingan_ as a black flame chased after Garasu. Gray on the other hand performed the _Kawirimi_ _no Jutsu _[Substitution Technique] just before the sword made contact with his shoulder. Taichi stood in front of the princess as needles fired from behind the trees while Manyama unrolled her weapons' scroll.

"_Uzami no Jutsu,_" –Manyama crossed her arms as smoke engulfed the remaining six, watching the opponent's moves carefully. "_Shinigami no Kinraiden_!" [Death God's Golden Thunder]

Spears and all sorts of weapons sprouted from the ground as they blocked the flying needles. Sasuke jumped the opportunity to lunge himself towards Garasu and land a kick on the man's face. The ninja, ambushed by the male Uchiha's attack, staggered back with an amused smirk as he started performing a technique. His dark vermillion eyes glimmering with amusement and curiosity at _Konohagakure's_ champion.

"_Mikazuki Tenshou _[Crescent Moon Heavenly Slice]," Garasu swung his sword high before throwing a huge wave towards Sasuke, smiling maniacally.

As a huge white crescent wave came towards him, Sasuke blew out the _Goukkakyou no Jutsu_ to parry it only to have the fireball itself to be sliced in half. His eyes widened, terrified until Naruto summoned a barrage of clones to take the hit and a stone hand grabbed him and threw him out of the projectile's range. Taichi prepared more stone walls until another _Mikazuki Tenshou_ smashed all the barriers in one attack, causing the said boy to let out a disgruntled snort in frustration. Princess Amaterasu stumbled back as _shurikens_ flew at her direction until Manyama pulled out her chain sickle and parried them both before reflecting them back to the thrower.

_If this drags on any further, _Sasuke clucked his tongue in disapproval, watching the battle progress. _We're not going to make it in time!_

Garasu laughed maniacally, retreating backwards past the swaying trees. "Catch me if you can, Ren-_kun~_!"

Takagi furiously twitched with his tone of voice as he hounded the green haired ninja along with Kakashi. "You kids stay with the princess! We'll catch up!"

Sasuke let out a disgusted "tch" as they all surrounded the princess, drawing out one of his _kunai_. Amaterasu fearfully trembled behind them, watching how eleven to twelve year old kids were expected to defend her. Gray located small puddles of water lying on one side, smiling at his advantage. Izumi unravelled her whip while watching cautiously for any of the bushes to move. Seeing that nothing seemed hostile, Sasuke quickly broke out of the formation and darted forward.

"We're going to take down that guy whether Kakashi or whatever his face likes it or not," Sasuke coldly ordered before sprinting forward. "You guys stay with the girl. Gray, you're stuck with me."

Mimi bristled at her relative, glaring daggers at him. "WHO DIED AND MADE YOU LEADER?"

Gray refused to grace him with a response as he followed behind the black haired Uchiha, giving signals to his teammates in case something bad was to happen. Mimi readily agreed but mouthed to the blonde Hyuuga ninja that if Sasuke does anything stupid – let her know and she will gladly murder him. Gray shuddered slightly at her murderous intent held against her cousin but knew the history of the Uchiha clan had some twisted feature to it. Focusing to the task at hand, Gray sprinted forward before catching up with Sasuke. As the two reached the end of the forest, both _Jounin_ were forced to play on water in which Sasuke quietly berated his inability to get close and inflict real damage. However, Gray sped past him before dipping his hand into the water.

"_Itetsuku _[Freeze]," Gray released his _chakra_ into the water as it slowly started freezing as the lake became solid ice.

Garasu suddenly slipped from the ice as Gray unleashed a _Jyuuken _strike onto the ice, consequently initiating a complete shatter and death by freezing water. Takagi and Kakashi sprinted out of the way while Sasuke began performing seals to release a fireball into the air. Garasu quickly did a few hand seals of his own as a shade zoomed towards Sasuke, phasing through him and sending the boy to his knees. The mercenary landed gracefully on the water with a curt bow.

"Isn't it beautiful," he raked back his long green hair with a small mournful smile, performing the same set of seals. "_Ninpo_, _Mizumishii Kaimei_." [Ninja Art, Vibrant Darkness]

Takagi rushed over to the boys with Kakashi until a frozen sphere enveloped Sasuke with the attack bouncing off.

"What," Garasu gnashed his teeth angrily as Gray splashed another wave of water into the air.

"_Hyouton; Gyokouyari _[Ice Element; Freezing Lance]_,_" Gray quickly touched the droplets of water before freezing it into a huge linear attack zooming forward.

Garasu slashed the attack in two until he re-performed the _Mizumishii Kaimei_ and phased it through the coffee blonde male before kicking the Hyuuga squarely in the gut and colliding his fist against the younger's head. Kakashi prepared to reveal his left eye but Takagi stopped him and lunged forward before grabbing the two boys out of the way. Garasu clucked his tongue in irritation until Kakashi slammed him into the water.

"What in the world was," Kakashi looked back as the four of them retreated from the occupied Garasu.

"The _Mizumishii Kaimei_ is a technique in which allows the caster to backfire a person's emotions at them," Takagi explained before sprinting past the trees, glancing back a few times. "I created that technique in a sense that I would never have to hurt anyone with my own power but apparently, he learned it. The darker the emotions of the opponent, the more lethal the damage – he probably sensed that from Sasuke."

Kakashi bit his lip hard, looking at an unconscious black haired Uchiha. "Sasuke's practically brimming with dark emotions. How come Gray got so badly affected? He doesn't seem the type."

Takagi shook his head at his silver haired comrade, making sure Gray remained locked on his back. "That's only for me and him to know."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Forcibly removed from their detour, the nine of them rested in a cave with a small fire flickering. Sasuke sweated in his unconscious state as Sakura tried her best to tend to him while Gray managed to recuperate most of his senses although his chest tightened once in awhile from the agonizing emotional shock. Amaterasu leaned against her elbows, sadly watching the flames and noticing how young most of them were. Her eyes strayed towards an injured Sasuke and Gray before glancing at the others who were taking turns watching for any hostilities.

"You should eat," Taichi approached her cheerfully, handing a small rice ball. "Manyama made some for all of us in case we're thrown off-course."

Quietly accepting Taichi's offer, Amaterasu took a bite out of the _onigiri_ before taking a look outside at the darkness past the cave entrance. A silence overwhelmed her while observing the other ninjas, some that have fallen asleep. Naruto snored away contentedly while Izumi and Sakura were doing their best to keep Sasuke's temperature at normal. Manyama pulled out a map and began following the pathways from where they were and the shortest way to the Sun Country.

"You shouldn't worry so much about them," Kakashi cut Princess Amaterasu from her thoughts nonchalantly. "They were trained to handle this."

"But you saw who that guy was," Amaterasu protested vehemently; tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "They're only kids! How can you expect them to go against a more talented and experienced ninja? All of them could have gotten killed!"

"Our main fault lay in letting our guard down," –Amaterasu swivelled her head towards the coffee blonde sitting by the edge of the cave entrance, somewhat being entranced by his stoic expression with the fire giving a soft tinge of auburn to his hair. "We underestimated our opponent because this mission had been ranked a C-class mission and normally – only _Chuunin_ are allowed to take it. However – since there were many of us, they made an exception."

Takagi shook his head at the princess. "Gray's right but that's why they also have us accompanying them. If it were just them, I'm sure they would have all died especially with someone like Garasu on our tail. That man's the most bloodthirsty creature I've ever met."

"How come he called you 'Jonouchi Ren' back there," Mimi narrowed her eyes distrustfully at her _sensei_, unsheathing her _kunai_. "Are you a former renegade ninja we have to kill?"

Takagi shook his head before glancing outside, hearing small raindrops fall. "I'll explain myself only to you and Gray about that, Mimi. For now, all you guys need to know is that I was exiled from the _Getsugakure_ for being unable to kill a certain contender. That's it."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his brown haired fellow _Jounin_. "I remember the tradition there being murdering everyone within that person's family and cutting all relationships to graduate in _Chuunin_ right? That's why they called it the Crimson Moon Village from what I remember."

"You're exactly right there," Takagi refused to say anymore, changing the subject. "Anyhow, if there were to be any confrontation with Garasu again – make sure you guys bring her straight already. Forget about me or Kakashi. We're big boys; we can handle ourselves just fine."

"The problem would be if he brought company," Mimi hissed darkly from where she sat, reflecting the dancing flame's image off her _kunai_. "The bastard already counted us; he's probably gonna bring more hippie friends that we need to duke it out with. Not only that, he's got a frickin' good assumption and foundation on how our brains work. None of us ever took a life before except you guys."

Manyama nodded in agreement, leaning against the palm of her hand. "I hate to mention it but Mimi pointed out a valid statement; Garasu knows we can't murder anyone and we can't function without a _Jounin_. He'll probably get a large amount of reinforcements to divert our attention and snatch Princess Amaterasu right under our noses."

"If that's the case," Gray stood up, dusting his clothes. "I'll face Garasu."

Everyone stared at him as if he grew a second head.

"Gray, didn't anything pass through your ear and into your brain instead out the other side," Takagi stared at the young boy incredulously, shaking his head defiantly at the blonde's decision. "The man's bloodthirsty – he's anything but human!"

"I noticed something awhile ago," Gray folded his legs into an Indian sit, replaying the whole battle in his head. "Yuhara-_san_ barely relies on _ninjitsu_ and can only balance for a short period of time on water depending on the depth. Imagining it, the attacker could have focused his _chakra_ in an instant instead of springing out of the way and altering his attacking strategy when I froze the lake and smashed it into floating plates. He can't handle water battles; his _chakra_ is too erratic to handle the complex method of walking on water let alone balancing on it. _Jounin_ or not – some people have no sense of _chakra _control. I'm probably the best equipped to handle him since I can walk on water and because my attacks don't necessarily need to make physical contact. A defensive style contradicts his method of bringing down an opponent – he's an offensive-evasive fighter. It's like what you told me before, Takagi-_sensei_. Why fight fire with fire when you can fight it with water? The attack he uses is a cannon-like function instead of the normal trapping style since all he needed to do is focus all his _chakra_ into the sword."

Kakashi diverted his attention to Takagi whose eyes widened in realization upon the observation. "Now how did he come up with all that?"

"Gray," Takagi smiled before replaying the whole battle in his head, shaking his finger in approval. "You... are a genius."

"Mind convincing the Hyuuga clan that," Gray smirked at his _sensei_ with a nonchalant shrug, leaning against the cave wall. "They think I'm useless."

Taichi punched his fists together, giving them an excited grin. "I'm teaming up with the _yukidaruma_ on this one! We're gonna pawn this dude!"

Gray twitched viciously at the nickname Taichi came up with, balling his hand into a fist. "I'm not a snowman."

"Well, most of your attacks are ice-based and your entire eye becomes white!"

"You're the one with lizard eyes and a stretchable tongue when you access ten percent of your power! Besides, that's the natural trait of the _Byakkugan_!"

"Yeti!"

"Dirt for brains!"

"Eskimo!"

"Boulder head!"

"You wanna have a go at it," Taichi bumped foreheads with Gray who glared with the same intensity. "I've been itching to kick your butt ever since the Academy, you walking x-ray machine!"

"Bring it, jackass," Gray shoved back with the same force, preparing to pound Taichi.

Upon seeing the two get into a petty quarrel, Takagi sighed with relief that the tension lightened up amongst the company. "Mimi, you're going with them too."

Gray and Taichi snapped their attention towards their _sensei_. "_Sensei_, are you trying to promote Global Warming?"

The navy bluenette jumped up and down, waving his hands frantically into the air. "_Sensei_, that's dooming the world into oblivion!"

"Hey," Mimi stood up, stomping towards the two males before grabbing both of them by their ears with a sardonic smile curving up her lips. "You guys might want to repeat that for me?"

"You're such a fire starter," Gray shook his head in disbelief, hanging his head with defeat. "Face it; everything burns the moment you come in contact with it."

Naruto jumped up, bouncing over to Kakashi and punching an imaginary opponent. "Kakashi-_sensei_, can I join them too – please? I want some more action!"

Kakashi sighed in defeat, looking at the expectant eyes of the _Kyuubi_'s _jinchuuriki_. "Alright, you can join the hit squad. Under the condition that Sasuke partners with you."

"Bad idea," Takagi, shaking his head disapprovingly, pointed out to Mimi and Sasuke's hatred. "Sasuke and Mimi would prefer murdering each other than the target himself. Sasuke, Naruto, Taichi and Gray are good enough. Adding Mimi to the mix would result into Pandemonium on earth especially when Sasuke is within her range. Garasu alone will have them fighting for each other's throats."

"Hey, I'm right here you know," Mimi snapped moodily before sulking away with her arms folded.

Amaterasu glanced at Takagi, uncomfortably. "Are you sure it's a good idea to put those two together?"

"The two of them often don't appear in a sense in which they can do unison attacks, synchronize on higher emotional planes and all those telepathic aspects," Takagi chuckled lightly before relaxing against the cave wall, observing the petty bickering scene unfold before him. "But these two work the best together especially in combat. Trust me; they can put a pair of relatively telepathic twins to shame."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As morning dawned upon them, both teams set forth to the Sun Country once more. Nothing obstructed their path so far and with Gray's _Byakkugan_ running half the time – everybody exhaled in relief and calmly walked their way to the Sun Country. Taichi and Gray passed each other signals with eyebrows and glances, making Sasuke and Naruto albeit curious with their strategy. Takagi remained at the rear in case something had escaped Gray's tracking ability and Kakashi remained in front despite him feeling it to be pointless to do so.

Naruto tapped Taichi on the shoulder, whispering. "Hey, how do you and Gray do that?"

Taichi shrugged absent-mindedly, walking a bit faster to keep up. "I don't know – we just invented it during one of our exams and then the sign language became a habit I guess."

Suddenly, Gray tapped the ground several times in a certain rhythm, making Kakashi skeptical of Takagi's plan. The two were not biologically related yet their sense of synchronicity seemed to surpass that of twin ninjas. Taichi nodded as the both of them stopped as the whole team halted in their steps. Naruto tried yanking the bluenette forward but Taichi cemented his feet into the ground.

"Taichi," Manyama raised an eyebrow at the dragon, checking the vicinity. "Are you alright?"

The moment Gray and Taichi gave each other eye contact, both of them threw knives past each others' shoulders as two clouds of smoke appeared. Garasu appeared in the air as another ninja joined him.

"Amazing, you nitwits actually located me~," he grinned with a sing-song voice, unsheathing his unwieldy sword. "Now, are you going to amuse me or do I have to eliminate you so soon?"

The two ninjas wordlessly responded as a smirk appeared on both their faces. Taichi darted forward while Gray jumped into the air with a message passing across them before executing their critical strategy. Enveloping his hand with red _chakra_ and stones, Taichi transformed his formerly ebony orbs into emerald reptilian like eyes. Gray's emerald green eyes revealed a pure white glow as veins bulged slightly at his temples.

_Divide and conquer._

Gray landed a kick before throwing him higher into the air for more suspension before pounding him harder with punches. Taichi dug his feet into the around with the earth slowly moulding around his hands into a pair of claws, waiting for the landing. The other ninja with Garasu hovered towards Gray until the coffee blonde pre-teen launched himself higher into the air using Garasu's body as a foothold and throwing both of them down towards Taichi, plummeting them with insane speed.

"Now," Gray signalled before performing his other _Jutsu,_ anticipating the next attack.

Taichi grinned confidently before whirling his arms with a quick motion. "_Chiryuu no hitomane, Jishin Kagizume!" _[Earth Dragon Mimicry; Earthquake Talon]

"_Hyouton: Tsubame Arashii,_" Gray inhaled deeply before blowing out a storm of ice Swallows.

Despite his attempts to defend, Garasu and his partner found themselves locked in between the pair. "Saito, kick that snowman's ass!"

"I'm not a snowman," Gray twitched for the umpteenth time; since when did that nickname stick? _The guy must be Garasu's apprentice then..._

Saito manoeuvred past the flying ice projectiles before locking his hand onto Gray's neck, bringing the ice-wielder down. However, Gray used Saito's body weight and his momentum to throw the boy off while Taichi fought Garasu with the earth defending him from all fatal shots. Kakashi and Takagi remained and went on the offensive while the others had made their way straight into the Sun Country which happened to be twenty metres away from where they had previously set up camp.

"He has two bloodline abilities," Kakashi threw a questioning glance at Takagi who nodded. "But, isn't one supposed to be dominant and the rest dead? Where in the world does Taichi get all those techniques? He's only a _Genin_."

"Gray is a forbidden mix between two ninjas from two different villages," Takagi held his head bitterly but watched Gray and Taichi work together proudly. "His mother was the champion and ANBU captain of _Yukigakure_'s Stealth Corps and the father belonged to the Branch family of the Hyuuga Clan. I don't know the background story but that's all I know about Gray's biological family. He prefers keeping his pain in a place where nobody can actually dig it up. Many kids despised his genius and the Hyuuga clan referred to him as the "Reject" – he learned techniques and strategies with an abominable speed and would have graduated early if he actually exerted all his effort to actually trying to graduate. Taichi became the _Jinchuuriki _after his family had sold him to an illegal experiment group in order to survive. Currently, he houses the spirit of one of the last Celestial creatures on this earth."

"If I remember right," Kakashi fired a _kunai_ towards Saito who vanished, clucking his tongue in annoyance. "That would be Five-Clawed Dragon Seiryuu of the East, right?"

Takagi summoned a clone to bar the passageway. "Yep, that's the one."

Saito and Garasu tumbled back, staggering with fatigue before glancing at the two.

"What are they," Garasu narrowed his eyes, disguising the fear in his voice. "Where did these monsters come from?"

Takagi shook his head before pointing his blade at Garasu, watching his movements carefully. "No, these kids simply are humans just like you and I. And it's because of that reason, that they have defeated you. You did nothing but fight and spill blood across the land and country. Gray and Taichi have witnessed it – more than you have ever imagined."

Taichi grinned before giving him a thumbs up, sheathing his weapons in response. "You just need to look in the right places."

Gray silently nodded in agreement until Garasu chuckled darkly before making it loud and maniacal.

"What's so funny," Kakashi glowered a bit at the olive green haired man. "Did fear drive you insane already?"

"Of course not," Garasu wiped his blade with his tongue but pointed past them. "But you forgot so many things: when the moon descends, the sun shall ascend into the heavens."

Takagi pondered on the words for a moment before turning his head towards the Sun Country as realization drummed into his head, shaking his head in denial. "He was a diversion!"

Saito vanished immediately, alerting Gray and Taichi to chase after him only to be halted by Kakashi. Takagi quickly ordered them to rush on forward to the Sun Country with him praying for mercy and compassion. Gray and Taichi struggled to keep up with the _Jounin_ as Kakashi sent one of his dogs ahead to warn the other ninjas.

_Izanagi-sama_, _I pray that your daughter may be safe._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 2! I know it's getting really messed up but that's because I'm fixing it! Don't forget to review! :D**__


	3. Raid

**Me: I don't own Naruto!**

Chapter 3 – Raid

Upon arriving to the Sun Country, flames arose into the air with smoke clouding anybody's vision. Takagi motioned to Gray to activate his _Byakkugan _while Taichi lowered his nose to the floor and began sniffing around. People's screams thundered against Taichi's ears as Gray shook his head to clear his thoughts until more bandits started flooding the country. Horses trampled over citizens with some battle horns and alarms sounding off. Flares soared into the sky while the four of them searched desperately for the other five.

"_Sensei_," a sharp cry echoed across the main city square, revealing Naruto, Sasuke and the others escorting the princess. "What took you guys so long?"

"I didn't know the Sun Country suffered that much turmoil," Takagi observed before searching the entire _plaza_. "Where's His Highness?"

"That's the thing," Amaterasu hung her head, biting her lip hard. "He's the one..."

Gray's eyes narrowed at the princess, locking his emerald orbs into a fierce gaze. "I'm guessing he's the one who hired Yuhara-_san_ and Saito-_san_ after you. They seemed to be a little too familiar with the way we were going. It's as if they knew that we were going to be the ones handling the mission. The ninjas knew most of our weaknesses and people don't get that at the beginning of the match. People usually derive it after executing a few blows in a match before getting used to the fighting style."

Sasuke nodded stiffly. "They had too many people coming after us. The guards were also cohorts into this. No doubt that the king is in suspicion."

Amaterasu nodded before smiling and latching herself onto Gray and Sasuke, singing childishly. "But, I know you can protect me right?"

Gray, flushing madly out of embarrassment of never being hugged in such a manner, quickly averted his eyes from her. "Amaterasu-_sama_, I think people will get the wrong idea when they see this."

Sasuke grunted with a dissatisfied snort, ignoring the fuming Sakura and Izumi in the background. Kakashi continued scouring the area as more ninjas started pouring in with a large rebellion of soldiers, setting the whole city ablaze. Takagi quickly issued orders for his team and Kakashi's to split into pairs and investigate, in hopes to find the king. A frown marred the brown haired _jounin_'s features as he continued searching around with Kakashi. The silver haired _Jounin_ beckoned to Takagi to make their way into the huge imperial palace as more guards swarmed around them.

"Oh woe is us," Takagi mocked hurt and despair before chuckling good-naturedly. "They actually came out here with a huge welcoming party."

Kakashi rolled his eyes at his _Jounin_ partner, slowly drawing out _kunai_ and _shurikens_. "Honestly Takagi, do you ever take anything seriously?"

Takagi's relaxed composure fell away before his eyes glinted darkly. "Oh well, it was fun for them while it lasted."

Kakashi and Takagi easily swooped down and ambushed them despite the numbers stacked against them. Sparks of steel and loud splatters of blood echoed into the air as Kakashi and Takagi fought their way to create an entrance into the castle. Both _Jounin_ rushed in to locate anybody but the hallways remained completely silent with only the curtains draping limply against the windows and the walls gathering dust. Their footsteps, despite being light, thundered in the lifeless hallway with the illumination coming from the flames outside.

"Why would he want to doom his own country," Takagi brushed the drapes aside, watching the spiders crawl up the walls. "This place seems abandoned ever since."

_A Genjutsu_, Kakashi glanced around before activating his _Sharingan_, seeing no significant difference. "He probably has a superiority complex."

"If I remember right," Takagi dusted one of the old wooden boxes, trying to unhinge it with much futility. "He had two other sons right? Where are they?"

"Susanowo was a disgrace to the family," Kakashi recalled reading the biography before opening doors one after the other. "Tsukiyomi on the other hand vanished the moment his sister had begun her life of exile. Hold up, why would she want to come back after everything?"

"It all makes better sense now," Takagi whirled around to face Kakashi, pointing outside. "All this is for one – The Sun Country had always been bullied by the other cities. If they were to have a civil collapse, it would throw off others while they hide something underground. If I'm guessing right, Amaterasu has exactly what the king wants."

Kakashi folded his arms with a skeptical gaze, raising his eyebrow. "Alright, what would this thing be?"

"The Sun Country had a relic that could hold an extreme of _chakra_," Takagi bit his lower lip, pondering for a moment. "If you think about it, it would already be with the Princess or something."

"Or rather," Kakashi pointed to the painting on the wall, making another speculation. "The princess is the 'thing'."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Why would your own father want you killed," Sakura stared disbelievingly at Amaterasu while Mimi watched for any other attackers. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Neither did the death of my two brothers either," Amaterasu twiddled with her thumbs, sighing ruefully. "There's a lot of civil unrest here and no matter where one turns – violence always occurs. I was exiled from my own country with the idea that my father simply wanted to protect me..."

"In the end," Mimi scoffed darkly, throwing another _kunai_ at a soldier before rolling out a _torinoko_. "He betrays you and fucks your life into nothing but a dump."

Sakura angrily swat the female Uchiha, earning herself a murderous glare. "Mimi, be nice!"

"Screw that," Mimi hissed venomously before performing a set of seals, lighting up a trail of gunpowder as it brought down a group of sentries standing by the pathways. "That's the way life is. You run; cling on to the little life that moulded you into a coward without turning back once at the fantasy people made you believe in."

Amaterasu shrank a little from the harshness of Mimi's words. However, the princess found herself unable to deny the female Uchiha's revelation as more screams thundered in her ears. She huddled her knees closely against her body while Sakura and Mimi maintained a tight security around her. The blazing sky alit with a wide inferno devastated her; women and children scampering about terrified her as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

"So, why does dear daddy want you dead," Mimi led them to another area to hide in, scowling darkly. "What is it you have that he doesn't?"

Amaterasu huddled up closely before embracing her knees close against her breast. "My mother always had this innate ability to accumulate big amounts of magical energy or what you ninjas dub as _'chakra_'. Her powers exceeded father's and many of the nations feared our family for that. But, she died after giving birth to one of my brothers. That's when father started going crazy and hunted many of my siblings. Not all of them survived – I'm the last one left... tentatively."

Sakura remained silent as Amaterasu trembled fearfully, not knowing what their next move was. Mimi continued to keep a strong line of defence as more soldiers came and attacked them, glowering darkly at the remaining forces. The female Uchiha leapt into the chaotic fray, kicking down a few soldiers and setting a few ablaze. Sakura barely stood her ground while watching Mimi fearlessly annihilate her opponents with flames.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," a silky voice snapped Mimi out of her battle-frenzy state. "I didn't know there was someone like you still existing..."

Mimi swivelled her head around, feeling the damage of the stab soon after with blood trickling down her abdomen. Her eyes widened with horror as she shakily looked up to face her attacker, seeing a young man with blonde hair. His blue eyes mocked her maliciously before he tossed her aside roughly against the wall.

Amaterasu staggered back as her lips quivered with terror, horrified by Mimi's sudden defeat. "W-Who are you?"

"You should know me, Amaterasu-_sama_," he bowed mockingly before giving her a sneer. "After all, I was your father's most trusted soldier."

Sakura quickly stepped up her defence, masking her trembling as much as she could. Mimi relatively delivered heavy damage until he appeared and menacingly advanced towards them with a malevolent aura surrounding his body. Amaterasu cast a sideward worrisome glance towards the unconscious Uchiha _kunoichi_ before cowering behind an equally afraid Sakura.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sasuke and Gray found themselves as partners as they quickly surveyed around the area. The black haired Uchiha scoffed in annoyance while taking down a few more soldiers while Gray effortlessly knocked them out. The coffee blonde male continued walking around, surveying the area as he heard children scream – causing a shiver to run down his spine. Sasuke spat in disgust before walking away from the bloody scene.

"Don't you feel any compassion for them," Gray instinctively threw a _shuriken_ at a rebel who nearly began his sexual assault on a little girl. "How can you walk through this place indifferently without feeling any sort of mercy for the fact they're seeing nothing but violence?"

Sasuke grunted in response before kicking down another rebel while Gray knocked another one unconscious. Suddenly, the air around them chilled drastically as Sasuke halted in his steps while Gray's senses kicked into red-alert. The both of them stood back to back, waiting for the next array of ninjas to spring out of nowhere until a rain of arrows descended from the sky. Sasuke dodge-rolled out of the way while Gray spun around for a _Hakkesho Kaiten_ to deflect them towards the wall as they flimsily pelted against the _chakra_ dome.

"There are more ninjas over here," a loud cry came from one of the soldiers as Gray and Sasuke quickly hid themselves amongst the shadows.

_Tch, we're surrounded,_ Sasuke growled inwardly to himself as Gray activated his _Byakkugan_. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Finding us a way to the palace," Gray responded subtly and curtly before swiftly moving into the battlefield and taking down the soldiers. "It seems we have to fight our way there though."

Sasuke rushed past him as they both took new detours to avoid any other hostilities until they found Naruto and Taichi, wandering around. "What is wrong with you two?"

"We couldn't find the king anywhere," Naruto shouted exasperatedly before stamping his foot on the ground, searching from wherever he could. "Did you guys find him?"

"His _chakra_'s well concealed," Gray disgustedly kicked a pebble across the dirt, reinforcing his _Byakkugan_. "Whatever he's using, he knows how to utilize its powers properly."

Suddenly, Gray's eyes widened as he darted forward. "Guys, we have to move! Mimi and Haruno-_san_...!"

Suddenly, a rain of spears descended upon them – blocking their only exit as a male suddenly dropped down from the sky with a devious smirk etched across his face. He lazily ran his gingers through his spiky black hair as a battle-thirsty grin curved up his lips, whirling around his spear. Gray immediately shifted into _Jyuuken_ position as the water from his jug started swirling around his hand, slowly freezing into a hand blade. Taichi lowered his stance into that of all fours as Sasuke and Naruto prepared themselves for a tough fight.

"Surprising," the man snorted with a _kansai_-like drawl, slamming the butt end of his spear unto the ground. "I didn't expect to find a bunch of _Konoha_ ninjas running around – what a bunch of babies. I'll finish you guys off even before you guys blink."

Gray noticed a sudden twitch in his opponent's right foot as he lunged forward and parried the thrust. Sasuke reappeared behind the huge male as he released a fireball but the opponent quickly dispatched them by grabbing Gray and throwing him towards Sasuke in which threw off the male Uchiha's aim for the fireball. Naruto and Taichi jumped the gun only to have the man slam them away with his spear towards the wall.

"Geez, you brats didn't even give me time to introduce myself yet," he scoffed darkly before throwing his spear over his shoulder. "The name's Ganmaru; I was the best spearman in the king's army."

"I figured the king would hide behind puppets," Gray spat out the dirt before clambering to his feet, readying himself to attack. "Taichi, you and Uzumaki-_san_ go ahead! I'll beat this guy and catch up."

Sasuke scornfully scoffed at the hybrid Hyuuga ninja, wiping the blood off his lip. "Pathetic, you couldn't lay a hit on him."

"Neither could you," Gray responded with ice lacing his words, freezing the water into a different shape. "_Hyouton_: _Nurunue no Koori_..." [Ice Style: Ice Whip]

Ganmaru amusingly sniggered before observing their movement, watching Sasuke and Gray surround him as they prowled like wild cats. "Well then, show me what you bratlings have then!"

Without any hesitation, Sasuke lunged at his opponent whilst swinging his _kunai_ as Gray snaked the whip towards the man's feet as it slashed against the opponent's ankles. Ganmaru sniggered as he knocked the teenage Uchiha ninja with the spear but paled in horror as Gray moved in for the kill to break the spear in two.

"You're just a weapons user," Gray smirked before landing a kick in Ganmaru's face, bending lower for a few more blows. "Just as I suspected."

With fast flying fists, Gray launched Ganmaru into the air while Sasuke brought down a _Fuuma Shuriken_ on the man's back. Blood splashed against Sasuke's face as Gray sidestepped to evade the flying splotches of blood. Ganmaru landed with a loud _thump_ whereas Gray and Sasuke landed next to each with the Uchiha smirking confidently while Gray continued to survey the area with his _Byakkugan_.

"Tch, not even worth my breath," Sasuke sneered scornfully before walking past the fallen man's body, kicking him aside. "Let's just go."

Gray's eyes widened as the Hyuuga quickly grabbed Sasuke before a spear impaled him, rolling onto the ground as Ganmaru rose to his feet despite his bleeding state.

"Not bad," he spat out blood before releasing a huge surge of _chakra_; his eyes suddenly turning into demonic yellow with veins bulging at the temples. "Time to whittle your lives to the last bit!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Manyama and Izumi ran along the pathways, searching for the king as they took down many of the soldiers. Bodies littered in their paths as the stench of cadavers wafted into the vermillion sky along with the flames and smoke. The red haired _kunoichi_ quickly unfurled her whip as she snaked it towards rebelling soldiers, tripping them over. Manyama released a trap of hidden _kunai_ as the soldiers fell one by one.

"Geez, there's more than usual," Izumi stealthily slipped around with Manyama as they quietly made their way on top of the roof tiles. "Have you found anything?"

"Gray's probably going to be the first to find clues about the king's whereabouts," Manyama frowned slightly before unrolling a scroll, performing a set of seals. "_Uzami no Jutsu; Shunzubame!" _[Uzami Family Technique; Flash Swallows]

A flock of swallows suddenly appeared from the scroll and flew out towards the other parts of the town, searching for their other teammates. Suddenly, a storm of fire raged towards them in which Izumi and Manyama were forced to split up. Flames burst towards them as a roaring stream of infernos trailed after them. Two ninjas appeared, cornering them – one female and one male. The female had shaggy strawberry blonde hair with a lanky structure and thin lips whereas the male stood with his folded muscled arms and a grimacing smirk while watching Izumi and Manyama trying to quench and escape the flames.

"Not a bad attempt for a plant user," the female yawned while lazily stretching her arms. "Most girls would panic at the sight of flames."

Izumi, twitching at the image of Mimi nearly setting her hair ablaze, smirked haughtily at the woman. "Sorry, I know someone who's a better arsonist than you are."

Manyama chuckled sheepishly at the thought before drawing out her _kusari-gama_. "Alright, lady – you're going to tell us where the king is whether you like it or not."

The man wagged his finger disapprovingly before pulling out a _katana_. "Listen, we were appointed by the king himself to retrieve his daughter. Thank you though for leading her back here."

Manyama, scornfully casting her gaze towards her opponent, lunged forward before whirling her chain sickle to restrain the _katana_ from moving. Jumping into the air, Izumi twisted her body around as she hurled several _aconite_ knives towards the female who drew back and unleashed another flame. Clucking her tongue in disappointment, the woman grabbed Izumi's hair before slamming the young _kunoichi_ into the ground.

"You haven't even heard my name yet," the woman lazily planted her foot against Izumi's back, yawning. "My name is Homura; I am the Sun Country's most powerful fire user. My partner's name is Yukio – he's the best ice user in the country."

The male kicked Manyama towards the wall but she managed to recover by springing off the wooden walls and landing a kick on his face. However, the ninja quickly lashed out with a series of punches and kicks while the weapon's specialist found herself forced on the defensive. Izumi and Manyama stood back to back with one another as Homura and her partner started performing seals.

"_Tsuin no Jutsu, Aisu Honoo Dangeki [_Twin Jutsu, Ice and Fire Explosion]_,_" Homura and Yukio chorused as a bitter lash of fire and ice squared both Izumi and Manyama into a certain vicinity.

Manyama winced at the ice licking against her skin, desperately searching for a way out. The flames rose higher and started closing in on both of them, causing Izumi to lean a bit more towards Manyama.

"Manyama, do you have any idea," Izumi shivered as the flames violently lashed out against them. "My plant _Jutsu_ won't work here!"

"Can't you possess them or something," Manyama shouted over the roar of the flames, dodging a stray shot.

"I could if I had a good aim," Izumi jumped over the ice needles that shot past under her. "Think you can create an opening?"

Manyama whistled in annoyance, pulling out two scrolls. "That's a tall order, sweetheart but I'm gonna try anyway."

Performing a few seals, Manyama swirled the scrolls around as she laced them with _chakra_. "_Jigoku Ryu no Mai_!" [Hell Dragon's Dance]

Taking the form of huge black dragon, the weapons lashed out at the fiery tornado – cutting a hole through it. Izumi quickly seized her chance as she transferred her soul into Homura, killing off the flaming tornado and giving Manyama a chance to disrupt their synchronization. Yukio retreated immediately whereas Homura found herself struggling against Izumi's grip on her mind.

"You bitch," Homura seethed venomously while Izumi fought back with every ounce of willpower she had. "Let go of my mind!"

"In your dreams, old hag," Izumi snapped back as she maintained a firm grip, fighting back. "I'm not letting go even if you beat me like anything!"

Suddenly out of nowhere, Izumi found herself located back into her body with Manyama being completely drained and weapons piercing through the roofs and walls of houses. "What the-?"

"It seems you girls are very reliant on your _chakra_," a voice sneered, revealing a twenty year old looking male standing by the shadows in a magnificent silver robe. "You're a Yamanaka clan member; famous for their mastery in plants, poisons and mind-altering techniques. The other seems to be very talented in _chakra_ lacing."

Before Manyama could spout a word, the last thing she remembered was hitting the floor.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Taichi and Naruto quickly tracked down their _sensei_, explaining to them what had happened to the others. Soon, more soldiers flooded out of the garrisons and surrounded them. Kakashi drew out his _kunai_ while Takagi prepared a complex _ninjitsu_ to bring them down. Naruto and Taichi stood back to back with one another, pumping themselves with adrenaline to fight. The navy bluenette had never killed any royalties before and cringed at the thought of killing the king. Most people would think of how much power one could obtain but the dragon shook his head disapprovingly.

"I won't need to kill him right," Taichi mused hopefully to himself until a few spearmen nearly skewered him only to have their spears crack due to the diamond scales covering Taichi's body, sheepishly scratching his head. "Whoops, forgot to warn people about that..."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "How in the world is that possible?"

"Seiryuu was the dragon of the Earth Village and was known for lurking amongst the diamond quarries nearby," Takagi explained before blocking another sword and kicking the soldier away. "Like the _Kyuubi_, Seiryuu leaves traits on his _jinchuuriki_ such as diamond hard scales to render any physical attack useless, a voracious appetite for anything Mexican, emerald eyes and exceptionally horrible stench for a fart bomb."

"Was the fart bomb really part of it," Kakashi raised an eyebrow before summoning a bunch of clones.

"More or less," Takagi chuckled lightly before performing a few seals, narrowing his eyes at his opponent. "_Mugen Shunso." _[Void Flash Spear]

From beneath the ground, shadows suddenly transmogrified into spears and impaled their opponents. Naruto unleashed a set of clones while Taichi stood behind him, pounding everything he found with the _Tsuchiken_. The blonde ninja grinned cheekily at Taichi who responded with a mischievous grin as the clones Naruto created tossed both the navy bluenette and Naruto into the air as a stream of shurikens and stone stalactites rained down on the opponents.

"This is awesome," Naruto kicked another one down before punching another soldier away. "This isn't a C-class mission! It's an A-class!"

"That's what makes it cool," Taichi grinned in agreement, kicking another away and headbutting the other. "Besides, this is the first time I've seen a country under siege!"

Takagi tugged the navy bluenette's collar. "Hey, let's not get too carried away now shall we? We still have to find the king and the princess."

"You shouldn't worry so much about that," a smooth voice interrupted the battle as the soldiers departed, giving way towards the king. "My daughter is safe and well; however, you ninjas have outlived your usefulness. Ganmaru, Homura, Yukio and Hiyoshi proved that they were more powerful than your pathetic apprentices."

Ganmaru, Homura and Yukio, along with the father's most trusted soldier, dumped the other ninjas on the ground with much chagrin and less effort – revealing their badly wounded and bruised bodies. Sasuke and Mimi remained motionless whereas Gray still managed to wince of colliding against the cement floors. Sakura whimpered slightly as Izumi and Manyama rolled next to her, noticing the soldiers directing all their weapons towards them. Yukio and Hiyoshi tied up the princess as she was forced to watch all of them die.

_Shit,_ Gray muttered as he struggled to rise despite his bleeding abdomen and dislocated leg, feeling his _chakra_ bubble wildly. _I can't let it end this way!_

The pipes and sewerage from deep below cracked open as the sky soon started to hail. The skies darkened, catching the attention of all the soldiers. The floor began to freeze as icy stalagmites pierced through the ground with a wild dance of ice raining from the sky. Suddenly, ice pelted the soldiers as Gray started performing a complex set of seals.

"_Hyouton; Souryuu Boufuusetsu," _Gray whispered harshly as the icicles slowly fusioned together to make flying ice dragons, stabbing on the soldiers as they found themselves buried by the sudden ice crash and blasts from the frozen dragons. [Ice Element; Twin Dragon Blizzard]

"Where did that come from," Sasuke's eyes widened with shock and surprise. _The hell, there's actually someone who can conjure that out of nowhere!_

Kakashi swivelled his head towards Takagi who didn't seem the least bit surprised. "When did he learn that? Isn't that authorized to _Jounin_ only?"

"Gray's a special case in a sense," Takagi nodded before shaking his head with compassion for the soldiers vulnerable to Gray's attack. "With the Hyuuga clan member for a father, Gray has mastered intense _chakra_ control and the fact that water requires complete calmness and emptying of the mind – it makes performing ice techniques much easier. His mother was famed for being a _Yuki-Onna_ form _Yukigakure_ as an ANBU and easily became the champion of the village. Her ice techniques... he must've memorized them when he was a child."

The numbers of soldiers dwindled down instantly as the ice coated itself with the blood of its unfortunate victims, causing a wild scramble for self-preservation. The king retracted back immediately as Gray stood up despite his agonizing bleeding state along with Sasuke and Mimi. The female Uchiha grinned darkly as her _Mangenkyou Sharingan _whirled around with the people suddenly screaming in terror and agonizing pain. Manyama drew a symbol on the scroll with her blood with her eyes flickering with triumph.

"_Uzami no Jutsu; Jigoku Ryu no Mai_," Manyama unrolled her scroll as a black dragon appeared with a fusion of weapons as it roared to life.

Naruto launched an attack with Sasuke as their shurikens started finding their marks with soldiers falling down, one after the other. Soldiers quickly began retreating as Kakashi and Takagi closed in on their target. The king quickly scrambled away towards the palace until Izumi unfurled her whip to trip him over with Manyama surrounding him with _chakra_ strings by using the fallen weapons as certain points.

"Tsk, I'm surprised," the king disguised his fear with trembling confidence, trying to stand tall despite his defeat. "You're quite intelligent for someone so slow."

Kakashi brandished his _kunai_; his voice becoming steady and low. "Why are we slow if we are able to outwit you?"

"Did you think I only appointed soldiers as my defenders," the king sneered while gesturing Kakashi to look behind him.

The moment the silver haired _Jounin_ spun around, Saito brought down his sword only to be caught by Sasuke while Garasu hurtled his _zonbatou_ towards Takagi in which Taichi and Gray caught it before it could slice their respective teachers in half. Garasu sneered at the two boys until Taichi broke the blade in half with claws starting to form and Gray shattered the other end of the blade with combining his freezing ability with the _Jyuuken_ style. Naruto punched Saito away whereas Sasuke used the sword to his advantage and began bringing it down on Garasu's apprentice. However, the young male easily evaded before somersaulting for a double kick to push both Sasuke and Naruto back. Garasu formed shadow familiars and released them towards Taichi and Gray who quickly split up and began releasing projectile-type _Jutsu_ to disintegrate them into nothing. Sakura and Mimi jumped forward to snatch the princess under the guards' noses before surrounding her with a defensive formation.

"You're addressing that to a team who has a genius in their arsenal," Kakashi smirked slightly as he relaxed himself a bit. "After all, Sasuke is the champion of _Konohagakure_. Secondly, Sakura's basically the smartest one here and Naruto has a lot of power to shell out regardless of circumstance."

Takagi nodded lightly, proudly watching his students easily bring down Garasu and Saito. "Gray, I can safely say, has the biggest amount of innovation and definitely – he is a genius in his own sense, Taichi can probably eat Garasu in Dragon mode, Mimi's not far off in being a psychopathic serial killer, Izumi is a poison specialist and let's say Manyama can put holes into your soldiers exactly where she wants them."

Amaterasu shook herself out of her frozen daze and folded her arms. "Give it up, father. You have no place to run and no place to hide!"

The king hissed darkly as Kakashi and Takagi continued closing in on him, bringing out a small orb. "You will never take me alive!"

Amaterasu paled at the sight of the orb. "No!"

Without any hesitation, the king punched it through his chest as the _chakra_ gained from everyone pooled into his body. His eyes glimmered differently as his arms became much more muscular and _chakra_ streamed all over the place. The ice immediately melted and the ninjas were thrown back by the sudden impulse of power. _Chakra_ tails suddenly appeared behind him with his face becoming more malevolent and a dragon mane appearing.

"Did you guys fight him awhile ago," Manyama cast a glance towards Taichi who vehemently shook his head.

"I never came in contact with that dude," Taichi waved his hands in the air, staring in horror at the transformation. "Heck, I can't do that myself! The best I can do is harden my scales!"

"You don't necessarily need to be in contact with him," Amaterasu explained as she watched the transformation with horror. "All it has to do is register _chakra _signatures in order to allow my father to adapt the qualities and characteristics of that _chakra_."

Kakashi darkly mused, lifting his forehead protector. "In other words, those soldiers were sent to copy our fighting styles..."

_Sharingan_, Takagi chuckled as he looked at the king who suddenly performed one of Gray's techniques.

"_Hijutsu; Chiyukinoshini_," the king summoned a hail of ice to rain down on them until Gray spun around with the _Hakkesho Kaiten_, soon expressing distraught and disbelief. "What?"

"Fighting me with my own technique is a mistake. Your problem lies in your lack of mastery over the technique and my bloodline hence a weaker version," Gray launched himself forward before releasing a burst of _chakra_ from a gentle tap, causing the orb to howl uncontrollably and absorb even more _chakra_. "Your orb can only handle so much."

Taichi pooled up his _chakra_ into his hands and started changing his skin into diamond scales. Ice harmlessly pelted off his armour while Sasuke burned most of them down. The king lunged forward but Kakashi parried him easily with his _Sharingan _following his movement. Taichi easily deflected Garasu's attacks with his diamond scales whereas Gray launched a flurry of fists before changing his position.

"_Hakke, Rokujyon Sho,_ [Eight Trigrams, 64 palms]" Gray pounded against the man's chest before ending the attack with a bicycle kick, throwing him towards Mimi.

The female Uchiha performed a set of seals before inhaling deeply. "_Katon; Goukkakyou no Jutsu!_"

A fire ball unleashed a ray of light as the shadow familiars vanished with an incessant screech while the flames burned Garasu. Saito kicked Sasuke away before whirling a set of beads into the air.

"_Kuzetsu Shichi Kousatsu _[Seven Killing Points],_" –_the beads hurtled from the sky and pounded against Sasuke's body, throwing the boy back and another set of seven crashed against the _Kyuubi._

Takagi motioned to Gray to switch opponents as he went after Garasu and Saito with Taichi, Sasuke and Naruto. The navy bluenette quickly pounded away at Saito's stamina whereas Takagi and Garasu engaged each other in a skirmish with blades and steel clashing. Sakura tried to help Sasuke as she flung _kunai_ towards Saito who easily dodged it before releasing another technique.

"_Hijutsu; Tendou Jigoku no Chikara _[Hidden Art; Heaven and Hell's Force]_,_" – pools of darkness dragged Gray and Sasuke down under.

"Sasuke-_kun_," Sakura screeched in horror, gaping and trying to gather her wits.

"Gray," Taichi and Mimi quickly tried to reach for him before he sank in deep.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Yep, this is the revised Chapter 3! I'll be writing chapter 4 soon as I find the inspiration to start writing. Please review!**


	4. Cold Determination

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 4 – Cold Determination

Gray, feeling a strange light-headedness, found himself descending through a pitch-black abyss. The darkness overwhelmed him as the Hyuuga ninja could not even see his limbs or any source of illumination to penetrate the _Jutsu_. He struggled to lift his arms or legs only to be paralysed by his abdominal wound, causing him to flinch slightly.

_Where am I,_ Gray activated his _Byakkugan_, only to see nothing but pitch-black darkness. _I hate it when I can't see..._

Suddenly, a wave slashed against his body – knocking him forward. The blonde hybrid ninja hurtled against an invisible barrier as another blast pummelled him towards the other side. Gray curled himself up into a ball as attacks flew from all sides with punches and kicks slamming against his ribs and abdomen, causing him to vomit more blood. He reeled back as another blow collided with his back and sent him spiralling downward.

"_Tendou Jigoku no Chikara _[Heaven and Hell's Force]_,_" Gray cringed at the pain as the attack continued coming, trying to trace the origin with very little success. "It completely cuts someone's ability of sight and renders them completely senseless but someone with _Sharingan_ should be able to break it if they were the ones trapped inside the _Jutsu_. Although, that's just a theory and that could also be the reason why he didn't include Mimi and Kakashi-_san_. They are clearly both _Sharingan_ wielders and are a higher potential threat than the rest of us..."

As he continued falling, he closed his eyes until something started trickling and creating a droplet like sound.

_Is that water?_

Suddenly, the imagery changed from darkness into a small house by the country side. Gray found himself floating unto the ground, landing on the creaking wooden plank. Raising his eyebrow with a quizzical and bewildered expression, the blonde teen sauntered towards the house until a little boy suddenly shoved past him. People started gathering up at the house as Gray's eyes widened with horror.

_I know this image..._

Suddenly, the imagery shifted into a dark stormy night in the forest and found a little boy running through it with his messy coffee blonde hair slapping against his face and his emerald orbs blazing with fear and vengeance. Stones pelted against his body with _kunai_ zipping past him and shifty movements behind the greenery caused the trees and bushes to rustle. The raven crowed throughout the night as he stumbled on a loose step, tumbling down the muddy hill.

"No," the little boy whimpered as Gray tried to approach the fallen boy, shoving the elder Gray back with bestial force. "Don't you dare touch me!"

Gray staggered back in horror as he saw his younger self, crying out to the thunder. The emerald green eyes glittered angrily as the little boy slammed his fists against the ground with rain howling harder against him with leaves slashing against his body.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE THIS WORLD! I HATE EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN THIS KIND OF WORLD," his grief-stricken voice cried out as they were carried away by the roaring winds and thunder; tears threatened to spill out of his eyes as they splattered against the cold mushy soil. "WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE A FAMILY? WHY DID MINE HAVE TO DIE! IT'S NO FAIR! MY SISTER BARELY EVEN BEGAN HER LIFE! WHY DID EVERYONE LEAVE ME ALONE?"

_Damn it, _Gray covered his ears, falling to his knees as he heard his younger self cry out into the careless night. _This is just an illusion... this has to be...!_

"Nobody has ever won this type of battle," a sneering voice mocked him amongst the howling winds, laughing maniacally at both Gray's. "The only battle even the greatest warrior cannot win is against himself! I know who you are, hybrid! This is the truth! You cannot defy the Truth!"

Meanwhile, Sasuke too found himself plummeting to the ground with blood splattering against his pale face. His mother's terror-frozen expression flashed on the walls as the heartless eyes of Itachi bore holes into the younger brother's soul. Screams of terror and begs for mercy was carried away by the autumn wind. Leaves rustled throughout the silent night as Sasuke tried to maintain his composure despite his past rewinding and replaying over and over again.

_No, _Sasuke gripped his head as he collapsed with voices howling left and right. _This... Get out of my head!_

The black haired ninja curled up into a ball before completely arguing with himself.

"Hey..."

The voices suddenly stopped as a younger Sasuke stood in front of him. The teenager Sasuke clambered to his feet slowly as the little boy weakly raised his head to see him face to face. The little boy stared at him with his bright black eyes until they slowly started to blaze with madness and malice. Sasuke, staggering back, watched the boy engulf himself in black flames.

"You," he hissed darkly as the flames grew larger. "You killed mother and father! I won't forgive you! You've done nothing but cause me trouble! I hate you!"

Sasuke flinched as the flames shot towards him, chasing him throughout Konoha. The ninja tried performing a _Jutsu_ but found it useless as the black flames hounded him ruthlessly, burning everything it came contact with. As the black haired Uchiha darted towards the buildings, the flames continued to devour the infrastructures as smoke and rubble flew into his eyes. Sasuke tumbled out of the way until the wall behind him exploded, revealing the younger him.

"Hello," he grinned maliciously as evil glinted in his eyes. "Let's play a game. It's called... 'DIE FOR ME!'"

_Shit,_ Sasuke dodge-rolled as flames speared the wooden walls. "What is this?"

Flames blazed into the starless moonlit night while Sasuke leapt over a barrel filled with gunpowder as it exploded behind him, forcing him to tumble forward. The younger version of Sasuke phased through the walls as they started burning down with big holes with molten wood. Paling considerably, the male Uchiha continued to run and skid past corners with rubble burning down into dust.

"RUN, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN," the younger Sasuke chanted maniacally with the flames spewing out in all directions, running even faster than ever. "BUT YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME! I'M THE REAL YOU! I'M MADE FROM ALL OF YOU!"

Sasuke cringed at the high-pitched shrieking and howling, dashing behind a trash can while watching the boy run away. Inhaling deeply, the black haired ninja slowly turned away until the little boy reappeared in front of him again.

"Hi."

Sasuke had never screamed so loud in his life.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The other ninjas heard their cries of horror but had no idea where to begin. Kakashi continued battling Garasu with Takagi whereas Naruto and the others were left to force Saito to break the _Jutsu_ over Sasuke and Gray. However, the Moon ANBU remained completely persistent and defiant as he leapt away while dodging Naruto's and Taichi's stray shurikens and flying fists. Garasu backflipped as Takagi and Kakashi hounded him with their _kunai_ swinging towards him. The king chuckled while releasing more streams of _chakra_ flying towards them.

"The hell with it," Takagi ducked before kicking Garasu away, throwing a glance to the king. "That guy's sucking up all the _chakra_ within the vicinity."

"Our only potential attacker's currently in the _ninjitsu_ so," Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, revealing his _Sharingan _eye. "Let's try breaking him out of it, shall we?"

Takagi started performing hand seals as beads of sweat trickled down his face. He flinched visibly at Sasuke's howls of horror along with the image of Gray's struggling as Saito flashed it in front of them. The king malevolently grinned as he morphed the sewer water into huge icicles before throwing them towards Takagi who quickly dodged it but not without him muttering a string of curses under his breath as he restarted doing the seals. Garasu swung his _zonbatou_ loosely at him as the _Jounin_ dodge-rolled under as he continued performing it.

"Here it goes," Takagi slammed his palm into the ground. "_Hijutsu: Shikkoku no Gesshoku Kai!" _[Secret Art; Deep Black Eclipse Release]

A black orb surrounded Takagi's hand as he lunged towards Saito who kicked him away until Kakashi flashed behind him. Saito scowled darkly as he tumbled out of the way until Naruto and Taichi spread his arms apart, causing the _Jutsu_ to dispel and reveal Gray and Sasuke tumbling onto the ground. Sakura quickly darted towards Sasuke's aid while Mimi let a rage of black flames run around, allowing Gray to recover immediately. The king's glare darkened before beckoning to his hired assassins.

"Attack and make sure none of these Konoha brats make it out alive," the king fired another beam of black _chakra_ as pools of black tar appeared on the ground.

Gray performed a set of seals, glaring darkly at his opponent. "_Hyouton, Gyoukoheisha!_" [Ice Style; Frozen War Chariot]

A huge chariot spun out of the water as it charged forward while freezing itself. The king forced himself to leap out of the way until a _kusari-gama_ held him down as Manyama snaked it over while Izumi knocked down Ganmaru along with Hiyoshi. Mimi launched a fireball, setting the large streams of water ablaze with the skies becoming bloody red. The king roared with utter fury with more streams of _chakra_ streaming out to push back Kakashi and Takagi. Jumping backwards, Kakashi dodged the streams before throwing himself forward once again in order to kick out the orb as it rolled near Taichi's feet.

"Stop them," the king screamed as he lunged for it only to be blocked by Takagi and Kakashi.

Taichi tossed the orb in the air, forming stones around his fist and punching it. "Gray, heads up!"

Pushing off the ground with his hands, Gray whirled around for a bicycle kick as the orb cracked with all the _chakra_ streaming out. Black ooze soon started to spill out of the orb as it swamped out the other attackers. Homura launched herself into the air as she wielded two blazing fire whips thrown towards Mimi who kart wheeled out of the way before unleashing another fireball. Yukio blew out streams of icicles at Gray as the blonde Hyuuga ninja whirled around with the _Hakkesho Kaiten._ Taichi launched himself into the air before slamming his fist into Ganmaru's face with Manyama whirling her chain scythes to tie up Saito and Garasu. However, Sakura and Izumi found themselves cornered by Hiyoshi as he unleashed shadow needles from the ground.

"So tell me," Kakashi blocked another _kunai_ flying towards him. "How do we stop the mass spillage?"

"From what I'm seeing, I don't think there is a way," Takagi ruefully noted as he kicked down Yukio with a back-flip. "Anyhow, we need to get everyone evacuated first. We won't be getting anywhere if we just keep duking it out with people like them."

Amaterasu lifted her skirt as she ran through the black slime, seeking out the orb being drowned. Naruto kicked Ganmaru away as he hurled his clone to knock down an attacking soldier, giving the princess more time to search for the orb. Sakura and Izumi swam through the black ooze until something burned the pink haired _kunoichi_'s fingers as the orb floated out of the mess.

"Guys, there it is," Sakura hollered as the orb started floating away.

Naruto and Taichi lunged for it only to have a large wave of _chakra_ burst back against them. Gray and Sasuke also tried to hound it down only to get blasted back until Izumi snaked her whip towards it only to have it burned off completely. Kakashi launched a _kunai_ at it in attempt to destroy it only to have it absorbed and thrown back at him.

"Damn, it's like there's a defence mechanism on that stupid thing," Mimi snorted disdainfully while preparing a _Jutsu. _"I'm gonna burn down that shit-for-brains if it's the last thing I ever do!"

Gray placed his hand in front of Mimi as the orb suddenly stopped and idly stared at them. A pink light shone from it as the black gunk started swirling around into a large whirlpool, throwing everyone into a fray. The king howled in agonizing horror as everyone latched onto something in order to prevent themselves from sinking any further. Gray, performing a single handed _Jutsu_, unleashed ice needles until they cracked off harmlessly off the orb. Mimi prepared to unleash _Amaterasu_ until Takagi stopped her, watching the orb's movements.

"Your highness, what exactly is that thing," Takagi managed to help Amaterasu unto the ledge to prevent her from falling in.

"That's the eye of Izanami," she hung her head mournfully. "That's whatever is left of my mother..."

Their eyes widened as Amaterasu struggled against the severe whip lashings of the orb, watching the jewel glow brighter. "The only way to stop it is to have another force of energy counteract its action."

"How the heck do we do that," Naruto yanked his hair while clinging onto a pole for dear life. "I don't even get how it works!"

"She means that someone has to reverse the flow and polarity of the _chakra_ coming from that orb," Kakashi watched the swirling become stronger. "I'm guessing the whirlpool is the direction in which the _chakra_ is flowing around in. The question is – how do we reverse _chakra_ flow?"

Mimi concentrated more _chakra_ into her _Sharingan_ while analysing the swirling pattern. "We need someone who has top-notch control and knowledge in flow of _chakra_. One mistake and this thing go _kablooey_ on the rest of us!"

Gray, activating his _Byakkugan_, concentrated deeply for a moment as the swirls became much bigger and faster. He loosened his grip before following the flow of the black slime before creating a large blast of _chakra_ from his body and spinning in the opposite direction.

"_Hakkesho Kaiten _[Eight Trigrams Heavenly Spin]," Gray rotated counter-clockwise with a faster speed despite feeling the need to suddenly pass out as the whirlpool gradually weakened with blue _chakra_ mixing in. _Damn, my body can't handle..._

"_Tenkai, Hoshinosokyuu, _[Celestial Release: Star's Redemption]" –a pair of reptilian green eyes met Gray's as Taichi started releasing a blaze of red _chakra_ that effortlessly directed the spin power. "You're not doing this alone, snowman! We're freakin' teammates and we stay that way!"

Naruto, seeing his friend get all the action, leapt in despite Kakashi's protest as his _chakra_ suddenly began streaming around and threw back the orb. "Guys, don't hog all the glory!"

The orb's power drastically decreased as it fell to the ground, shattering into a million pieces. Amaterasu's eyes widened as the ooze slowly leaked into the sewers once again. Weakly letting go of the poles or whatever they clung onto to, the ninjas warily searched for any other sudden attack until Garasu threw himself forward with his _zonbatou_ swinging out and knocking Gray down towards the wall with his blade bludgeoning his abdomen. Without any hesitation, he released the _Mizumishii Kaimei_ [Vibrant Darkness] against Taichi as the boy keeled over in shock and agonizing pain. Naruto lunged forward to aid his friend only to be clobbered by Saito on the head with a mean right punch. Takagi, glowering nastily as Garasu sadistically grinned while crushing Gray against the wall, performed a set of seals as black shadows formed over his hand.

"You leave Gray alone," Takagi lunged forward with an angry howl, only to realize later that someone else took the hit.

A deafening silence filled the void between everyone as Sakura clamped her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. Izumi nearly vomited from the sight as Manyama visibly twitched from the distance between Takagi and Garasu. Blood dripped onto the ground as Saito lifelessly hung on Takagi's hand as violet stones stared back at him. However, Ganmaru unhesitatingly rushed towards Takagi with his spear extended to impale the _Jounin_ until Sasuke swung around for a low sweeping kick.

"Ha-ha," Garasu sneered darkly as he released Gray from the blade, swinging above Takagi's head. "Now, I see an opening!"

Takagi, with his eyes widening slightly, leapt backwards while Kakashi rushed in for the hit. Homura released more flames as Mimi began hurtling them back at her with Yukio freezing most of Izumi's attacks but unable to parry most of Manyama's projectiles. The king feebly hobbled away until Amaterasu stood in front of him with folded arms.

"You," he coughed out raspily, leaning against the wall for support.

Amaterasu glared hard into the king's soul, folding her arms. "You plunged this world into civil unrest just for your selfish desires," –her body suddenly began to glow. "You had mom killed to satisfy your everlasting greed for power! I have had enough of your darkness! This time – Justice will be done!"

"_Katon: Enraiha _[Flame Style: Holy Fire Blade]_,_" Homura morphed a huge flame into a blade as she mercilessly lunged towards Mimi whose _Sharingan_ flashed malevolently with a whirling wheel.

Ganmaru's black orbs became a demonic yellow once again as he locked his grip around Sasuke's neck until a _kunai_ lodged itself into his hand from Sakura before he launched himself at her. The pink haired _kunoichi_ shrieked in horror until Izumi unleashed the _Jubaku Sansen_ to trap him. However, with demonic physical aspects came demonic traits as he brutally gnawed through the trees and tore them apart. Manyama whirled around binder to tie him down as he unleashed a monstrous strength to snap them apart. Yukio froze the ground, making it extremely slippery until Mimi burned away the ice with her fireball technique.

"You're a brutal bastard, Garasu," Takagi exhaled sharply as he found himself impaled against the wall. "I haven't seen anyone like you in ages."

"Those marionettes really softened you up," Garasu sneered as he drilled the blade deeper into his body, causing the shaggy haired _Jounin_ to flinch visibly. "You lost your _shinobi_ heart."

Takagi coughed out blood as a small grim smile appeared on his lips, looking past Garasu's shoulder. "If they were marionettes then, they wouldn't be able to outwit you three steps ahead."

Quizzical, the Moon Village ANBU swivelled around only to have a frost blade pierce his body. His eyes widened with horror as Gray weakly stumbled forward with the ice crawling all over the older man's body. Takagi slowly drew out the blade before falling limply onto the ground as his student pierced Garasu's body against the wall.

"_Hyouton; Tousou Ittou_," Gray grit his teeth in agonizing pain, struggling to maintain consciousness. [Ice Style: Frost Bite Blade]

"You shitty brat," he venomously spat as the feeling in his limbs slowly vanished, struggling against the crawling ice. "When did you get so good?"

"I'm not good," Gray weakly stumbled back, clutching his abdomen to prevent more bleeding. "I'm just freakishly lucky and innovative."

Garasu lifelessly collapsed to the ground as Saito weakly crawled up to him. His hand, covered in his own blood, painstakingly reached out to touch the corpse of his master. Saito's eyes widened with horror as Garasu's entire body slowly became solid ice.

"_Sensei_," Saito murmured before letting out a raspy cough before completely collapsing on the ground, dead.

Ganmaru however slowly began revealing bestial traits as he started crushing Izumi's neck, depriving her of any oxygen. As she kicked and struggled, Sasuke suddenly came in with a flying kick and toppled the weapon specialist over before catching the red haired Yamanaka clan member in his arms. Sakura fumed up instantly while Izumi blushed wildly as the male Uchiha wordlessly set her down. Watching him sprint away, Izumi swooned deeply at his _bravado_ before placing herself back into battle stance. Mimi unleashed a new assault of fireballs as the soldiers ran with their tails in between their legs. Gray swiftly took them down as they keeled over one by one. Taichi roared with a dragon-like ferocity before grinning contentedly.

"Wow, they sure know how to run fast," Taichi scratched his head sheepishly, searching around for any other hostilities. "Do you think I overdid it?"

Takagi limped over with Manyama supporting him against her shoulder with a reassuring chuckle. "I'm sure you did just fine, Taichi. It's normal for people to be scared by somebody with a big voice."

Kakashi nodded before closing his forehead guard over his _Sharingan_ eye. "Well, I think our job here is done."

Amaterasu walked over with her loyal followers and her father in chains, beaming brightly at them. "I was wrong to have doubted your skills as ninja. You have proven yourselves more than worthy to be welcome here in the Sun Country. However," –everyone waited for the bad news. "Before you guys leave, I must choose a man who will stay with me and rule this country. You cannot leave without having experienced the festivities here."

Takagi and Kakashi exchanged looks with one another before agreeing on one thing. "Well, I guess the kids could use a little rest."

Naruto punched the air in delight, jumping around. "Alright, we're gonna eat some good ramen!"

Taichi rubbed his hands together in anticipation, smacking his lips. "I want _burritos_!"

Sakura, Manyama and Izumi clapped their hands together with a girly giggle, jumping up and down childishly. "OMG, we get to wear _yukata_!"

Mimi rolled her eyes sarcastically, shoving her hands into her pocket. "Great, more stupidity."

Gray sighed with a nonchalant shrug, looking up to the clearing gray skies. "I guess it won't be so bad."

Sasuke wordlessly responded before following after the team towards the castle as the princess revealed luxurious rooms for them to stay in. Despite the tattered condition of the outside, the inner parts of the castle remained completely intact. As if everything had been disguised by a _Genjutsu_, everything had been returned back to normal as if nothing had happened. Naruto dumped his bag on the ground before flopping onto the cushy bed. Sasuke silently sauntered in until the princess dragged him off somewhere while Sakura stared in amazement of the room. Kakashi however searched the perimeter before completely collapsing unto the bed exhausted.

Takagi and his team also found their own luxurious quarters with a bed for each of them. Gray however opted to sleep by the window but Amaterasu also dragged him away without giving him much protest. Mimi plopped herself unto the couch before popping open a soda can with Izumi and Manyama opening the closets with the latest clothes in it. Takagi chuckled sheepishly as girlish screams nearly struck him deaf. Taichi quickly raided the fridge and found microwaveable _burritos_ much to his delight and stuck them all at once into the microwave, waiting intently with his bright black eyes beaming expectantly.

Meanwhile, Gray and Sasuke found themselves facing each other in the castle courtyard while the princess took her place on the throne. Quizzical, the two quickly directed their bewildered expressions towards her to which she replied with a curt smile.

"I have chosen both of you as candidates for being my husband," she tousled the curls in her hair, snapping her fingers. "However, as the tradition calls – there must be a test for both of you. Although you have proven well to fight against rogue ninjas, let's see you fight against a whole army by yourselves."

Soldiers swarmed them from all sides as Gray and Sasuke stood back to back against one another. Gray's emerald orbs cautiously watched their movement as Sasuke glared back at the spearmen and swordsmen as they closed in on them. Sasuke drew out his _kunai_, wincing slightly from his ebbing wound. Gray flinched visibly at the amount of people as they surrounded them even more as his wound bit him harder than ever.

"Got any ideas, Hyuuga," Sasuke smirked, trying to maintain his calmness. "For starters, I think you should sit this one out."

"Says the boy who got himself impaled and strangled the first time," Gray scoffed while positioning himself into the _Jyuuken _position, reactivating his _Byakkugan. _"You should watch your words, Uchiha-_san_. You might accidentally get yourself killed in this fight."

"Trust me," Sasuke snickered as he started performing a set of hand seals. "I don't die very easily."

The soldiers lunged with no warning as Gray spun around for the _Hakkesho Kaiten_ while Sasuke sent a fireball blazing their way. The soldiers retreated almost immediately as Sasuke and Gray forced themselves to step up the offensive power. Gray somersaulted over as he brought down his signature bicycle kick while Sasuke went for a roundhouse kick. Amaterasu watched, amused by the two as they desperately fought back while trying to maintain as much stamina as they could. Sweat poured profusely down their faces as Gray felt the wound in his abdomen rip open even wider, feeling the stickiness of his shirt as it clung to his body. The moment she saw the blood however, Amaterasu quickly stood up – horrified.

"Stop," Amaterasu declared as the soldiers halted their attacks with Sasuke and Gray hanging on wits' end, walking down before examining both of them until she summoned her maids. "I want their wounds dressed and treated, given new clothes and a room of their own. I don't intend to share them with anyone else."

Sasuke scoffed darkly, spitefully slapping the hands of the handmaidens away. "I don't belong to anyone."

"I'm sorry but I think I'll have to decline your offer," Gray politely smiled, praying to _Kami-sama_ that she would let them go.

Amaterasu, angered, snapped around with a dark glare before advancing towards them menacingly. "And why not!"

Gray sighed dejectedly before genuflecting, hanging his head low. "Although it is an honour to have been chosen by you, Your Highness, I believe that I am not well-suited for the task. I've already sworn an oath to be a _shinobi_ dedicated to serving _Konohagakure_ with my life. Also, there is a debt I have yet to fulfil to someone, if not for him, I would not be standing in front of you as a ninja today. Uchiha-_san_ also has plans for himself as we both have ambitions that cannot be fulfilled if kept contained within the four walls of the castle. Forgive me your highness but, we are obliged to decline your offer."

Shocked by his eloquence, Amaterasu stood there speechless before bending down to cup Gray's face gently. "I would love to keep you here and to kidnap you from that _shinobi_ world. You don't look like the type who would spill blood mindlessly as compared to your teammates. I chose both you and Sasuke for your prowess as fighters and virtue. But, it would be selfish of me to contain you in this castle. To be honest, it may drive you to become suicidal. Tomorrow, expect to be filled with enough supplies to return home safely."

"Thank you," Gray smiled kindly and out of relief as she stared intently into his eyes.

"I'd be jealous of any woman who would be honoured to see that kind of smile on your face everyday," Amaterasu glanced at the guards. "Men, please escort them back to their teammates. Have them treated and well-cared for. Let it never be said that the Sun Country mistreats its guests."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**This is the revised chapter 4! Please review!**


	5. Ninjas Rest No More

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OC's!**

Chapter 5 – Ninjas Rest No More

Sasuke weakly stumbled into his own suite separated from his own teammates, letting out an agonized grunt as some of his wounds bit into him. The black haired male analysed the room, praying there were no traps or sneaky surprises that could easily render him dead. As soon as he deemed everything was safe, Sasuke readily collapsed onto the soft big canopy bed. His whole body burned in agony from all the fighting and the rapid ongoing attacks as his _chakra_ steadily regenerated. His black orbs slowly strayed towards the beige ceiling as a tapestry of a huge serpent coiled around the nine-tailed fox. Within the design of the tapestry, he found the snake spewing venom towards a shark and slamming a sapphire scaled dragon against the mountain range. He let out a small snort of disappointment as Sleep easily overwhelmed him.

Gray on the other hand wasted no time at all in washing his wounds as he winced visibly each and every time the hot water splashed against his deep gash across his abdomen. As steam rose into the air, the blonde hybrid ninja weakly lifted himself from the tub as a scar slashed across his face reflected angrily at him from the mirror. His emerald green eyes, he chuckled bitterly as he recalled the times when they glistened with the same innocence with that of a child; one that knew nothing of war and conflict. He remorsefully glanced at his hand until he looked into the mirror and a red haired ninja smiled before him.

"_We will meet again, hybrid."_

Roaring with utter shock and fury, Gray smashed the mirror as the shards cut through his fists. Blood trickled down his flesh as Gray nursed his bleeding knuckles by licking it. His green eyes then gleamed with malice and vengeance as memories and the replay of his recent battle flashed through his mind. Anger and remorse seized him as he fell to his knees, tightly squeezing his eyes as small crystals dripped out of them.

Meanwhile, Sakura, Izumi and Manyama had left the teams for awhile as they went around the shopping district to search for a _yukata_ for the festival but not without dragging the female Uchiha despite her vehement and violent protests. The pink haired _kunoichi_ twitched her lips into a skeptical snort as she tried to figure out what could it be that Sasuke would like. If anything, she wanted to be the best for Sasuke. A huge smile appeared on her face as she dreamed of Sasuke walking along with her during the festival and dancing with her in front of the bonfire before confessing to her in a dimly lit forest that he loves her.

"God, you're disgusting," Mimi's snort immediately smashed her dreams, causing her to cry comically at her ruined scenario. "Sasuke's not going to like you even if he had a gun put to his head."

Sakura gaped at her before glaring holes into her crush's cousin, grabbing her from Mimi's vest. "What is wrong with you! Why are you so antagonistic towards him anyway! What did he do to you!"

"It's his brother whom deserves to die," Mimi retorted angrily while clamping her hand around Sakura's neck. "And if you don't unhand me now, I will snap your neck like a freakin' toothpick before I roast you on fire! You got that!"

Sakura weakly unhanded the tri-colour haired _kunoichi_ as Mimi darkly shoved her hands into her pocket with a scowl, throwing her a dirty glance. Silence settled badly in between them as Manyama tried to calm the two down. The female Uchiha released her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ until Izumi pinched her ear lobe, earning her a yelp from the flame wielding _kunoichi_.

"Look guys, we're here to relax," Manyama smiled kindly while sheepishly scratching her head. "Well, I know you two are polar opposites but that doesn't mean you have to go for each others' throats now. You can do that when we're back in Konoha. The last thing our _sensei_ need is another trip to the hospital to report a casualty or an extreme injury."

Sakura sulkily folded her arms before throwing Mimi a dirty look. "She started it!"

Mimi snapped moodily, jabbing her finger at the strawberry haired _kunoichi_. "She's the one who yelled at me!"

Manyama sighed, face palming in distress and shrugged in surrender. "God, you guys are impossible you know that?"

As the four of them walked through the market district, Sakura and Izumi stuck their faces onto the windows with elegantly designed _kimono_s as their eyes widened with awe and desire. Manyama gleefully giggled when she passed the weapons store with Mimi snickering slightly. The female Uchiha also found herself eating spicy _takoyaki_ with a huge grin on her face, causing the others to slightly inch away from her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kakashi pensively mounted himself on the railings on the castle while watching the clouds slowly drift by. His dark orbs carefully analysed the situation as the townspeople began rebuilding and salvaging whatever there was left of their lives. He raked his fingers through his spiky silver hair as his other _Jounin_ companion joined him. Takagi leaned easily against the rail as silence settled in between the two.

"So, how are things," Takagi asked slowly, watching Kakashi's eyes intensely absorb himself with the view.

"As long as Naruto and Sasuke don't kill each other then things are fine," Kakashi settled himself back onto the ground. "How about you? How's it like managing a five man team?"

"It's stressful but in a good way," Takagi chuckled lightly before looking up towards the sky. "I still remember when those kids were first under my tutelage. They were practically brats with dirt for brains and Taichi literally mouthed off like a machine gun. But to be honest, it was because of that trait that made me love them even more. We're not just a team anymore; we're family."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow at Takagi, folding his arms with a puzzled expression. "Explain."

"Each of them have their own lives which made them what they are," Takagi watched the lily pad float around in the pond; tossing a pebble in. "Mimi lost her family to an insane relative. Gray is still looking for the man who took his family's life, Taichi never had anyone to tell him why he became Seiryuu's container, Manyama was often shunned by her own family for choosing the path of the _kunoichi_ and Izumi still lives under Ino's shadow. This weaved a web where we became a family and even though the limit of a team under a _Jounin_ is three – I would rather have these five under my belt than anybody else be it genius or not."

Kakashi chuckled lightly until an idea struck him. "Takagi, you don't mind if I borrow one of them for awhile do you?"

"As long as they don't end up dead or involved of your harebrained schemes," Takagi snickered at what had happened years ago as they were in the academy. "You always had weird stuff to do, Kakashi."

Kakashi frowned a bit at the shaggy haired _Jounin_, raising his eyebrow. "I was ten back then. Of course I'd be a harebrained idiot. Anyway, who can you spare for a few days?"

Takagi pondered for a moment, wondering who he could send. Frankly, he didn't want to part with any of them knowing the way Kakashi's team was built but Takagi knew the silver haired _Jounin_'s credibility and power since he became a former ANBU long time ago. He continued to imagine situations if one were to go missing but nothing ended up well. Sending Mimi would definitely get Sasuke and Sakura killed, Izumi would forget the objective, Manyama wouldn't work to well just yet and Taichi and Naruto may blow up an entire village and require them to pay for the damages. Only one seemed sane and perfect for a temporary loan and as much as he loathed the idea, Takagi knew he had no choice.

"Gray's the best candidate if that's what you're asking," Takagi narrowed his eyes at Kakashi who seemed to smile at his choice. "Why are you asking?"

"It's for training purposes and I might be able to persuade the _Hokage _for a higher ranked mission. I knew you were going to say that," Kakashi chuckled triumphantly, running his fingers through his spiky hair. "Taichi and Naruto would have been fine except for the underestimated amount of damage they may cause. Both of them are so reckless I don't know what I should be scared of more: their power or their insane stupidity."

"Taichi's not stupid mind you," Takagi motioned to the other _Jounin_. "His control just needs more tweaking. Secondly, he's easily excited by the action. That doesn't necessarily account for his stupidity."

"Mimi definitely has potential but the problem lies in her sociability," Kakashi sighed before shoving his hands into his pockets, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry, Gray's a big boy. He can handle himself."

"I know he can but," Takagi's sentence trailed off as the brown haired _Jounin_ cast his glance towards a chirping swallow. "There are some things that you may not understand about him, Kakashi. Some things that he keeps buried inside himself just so he wouldn't trouble the team. Secondly, he's strong – I won't deny that but how far can his physical and mental strength take him after his emotional strength completely drops?"

They both remained silent for awhile as Kakashi shrugged. "I'll give you an update if he's alright. You adopted him right?"

"Technically speaking, yes," Takagi watched Kakashi suddenly get up and leave. "Where are you headed now?"

Kakashi waved his hand at him dismissively. "I have to make sure Sasuke's still in one piece. The princess probably did him or something."

"Sure she did," Takagi chuckled good-naturedly until he reminded himself.

_I better check on Gray too._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Night slowly descended upon them as the festivities began. Sasuke found himself suited in a casual gray _yukata_ [forced onto him by the princess] while Gray tugged cautiously at the light blue fabric of his _yukata_ and navy blue _hakama _[also demanded by the princess]. Sakura decorated her hair with bright white roses while carefully arranging her pink _yukata_ with _Sakura_ petals and red violet _obi_ whereas Mimi scowled with a black _yukata_ decorated with multi-coloured flowers and a crimson _obi_ to match. Manyama bought a lavender coloured one with gold flowers and lining along with a amber coloured _obi_ while bringing along Izumi in her white _yukata_ with a bird decoration. Naruto and Taichi joined in the fun in their orange and light green _yukata_ respectively, quickly raiding every food store their eyes laid on.

Mimi however found herself frustrated with the goldfish as she desperately tried to fish it out. She let out a frustrated groan as the store tender chuckled at her futile attempts until an idea struck her. She activated her _Sharingan_ until Gray tapped the back of her head with a disapproving look, causing her to whine. Gray sighed helplessly as he snatched the net from his teammate before quickly fishing out a goldfish into her desired fishbowl, causing her to beam happily and go try another game.

"Mimi has a soft spot for animals," Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Takagi, chuckling at the mere sight of Mimi's childishness.

"Yeah, Gray's the only one fast enough to soup up one without cheating," Takagi scratched his head sheepishly, watching Mimi win the shooting game. "Although, when it comes to things like that – Mimi and Manyama definitely have it covered."

Naruto returned back to his team with an arm-load full of food including a huge _onigiri_ shoved into his mouth. Taichi rejoiced with a whole bag full of _burritos_ for the trip before speeding off to buy a mask. Soon, contests appeared out of nowhere with some pertaining to swordsmanship, fist fights, card games and all sorts.

"I wanna do that," Mimi jumped up and down impishly at the fist fights. "Can I?"

"No _Sharingan_," Takagi chided her sternly before she darted off, sighing hopelessly. "I hope she doesn't use it. Then again, she does bite a lot too."

Gray found himself surrounded in the card games area as the dealer sent out cards. Slightly activating his _Byakkugan_ as to not make it obvious, Gray smirked as he always bet everything he had and won more money than normal. Taichi joined the arm wrestling competition while Manyama and Izumi found themselves watching the _kabuki_ theatre whereas Naruto joined the eating contest and Sasuke found himself enjoying at the big burly men being beaten by his female cousin. Kakashi and Takagi chuckled while watching the _Genin_ run around like wild animals until Takagi stared in disbelief as Mimi came back with a championship belt and a sack loaded with money. Gray slung over his bag with money and also bought a snow globe while Taichi snagged a mask and a stuffed toy dragon.

"You guys do the queerest of things," Takagi shook his head disapprovingly. "Mimi, I hope you didn't try your _Sharingan_ didn't you?"

"Nope, but was I supposed to not burn them because I think I burned one guy though," Mimi contemplated for a moment before shrugging it off uncaringly with a cheerful grin. "Oh well, I'm happy. I have my goldfish and I have money!"

Takagi gaped at the sack Gray brought before him. "You play Poker?"

"Having _Byakkugan_ can sometimes be so cool," Gray chuckled good-naturedly with a mischievous drawl in his voice, becoming more relaxed in his stance. "It helps me win."

Takagi shook his head at the two hopelessly, sighing into his palms. _You kids really do have dirt for brains._

Kakashi glanced at the moon before throwing a glance to the other team. "Alright, I think we should get going. The _Hokage_ will be asking for us soon."

Naruto pouted before giving him the puppy eyes. "Aww, we're not going to watch the fireworks?"

Sighing hopelessly at the hyperactive blonde ninja, Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair with a smile. "I guess we can watch for awhile..."

Mimi prepared to a _Jutsu_, chuckling evilly with delight. "You know, I can easily make fireworks. I just need something combustible – something with an S and E in its name!"

"Mimi, stop that," Takagi glowered while chiding the tri-streaked haired Uchiha _kunoichi_. "That sounds psychopathic."

"Fine."

By midnight, the fireworks sparkled into the sky with Naruto shoving a whole _yakitori_ into his mouth while Sasuke and Izumi suddenly sat next to one another. Sakura found herself inching towards Sasuke, inwardly fuming at the red head for being so close. However, the pink haired _kunoichi_ couldn't help but blush at Gray's serene expression as he inhaled the forest scent deeply. Mimi eased herself comfortably near Manyama and Gray whereas Taichi gaped at the display childishly.

"They're really still kids at heart, huh," Takagi chuckled lightly.

"They can't stay like that forever though," Kakashi mournfully noted while watching the eight continue watching their firework display. _Why..._

_Why do I have a feeling that this is the last time I'm going to see something like this happen?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Upon returning to _Konohagakure_, Amaterasu paid them handsomely and with the money both Mimi and Gray won from their competitions – Takagi wondered what to do with six digit amounts of money. He raised his eyebrow skeptically at the two kids sitting in the room as Gray perched himself onto the window sill while Mimi lay flat on the bed before hugging the hotdog shaped pillow. The brown haired _Jounin_ scratched his head sheepishly before stashing all the cash away into the vault lodged deep into his kitchen wall.

"You kids have to stop gambling," Takagi shook his head disapprovingly. "Secondly, where and when did you guys learn how?"

Gray shrugged nonchalantly, playing with a small sphere of water. "I learned that from you."

"I never taught you how to gamble," Takagi raised an eyebrow at him, folding his arms with a slight frown. "Mimi, didn't I tell you to not use your _Jutsu_ when in fighting regular people?"

The female Uchiha waved her arms in the air hysterically. "But I didn't!"

"You said you burned a guy," Takagi sighed into his palm, shaking his head disapprovingly.

"He had a lighter," Mimi wailed defensively before comically streaming tears, pursing her lips.

Gray rolled his eyes at his step-sister, freezing the sphere before reverting it back to its normal form. "You're so bi-polar."

Takagi sighed until he remembered something from Kakashi. "Oh by the way, Gray, for now – I'm going to temporarily loan you to Kakashi. Make sure you don't kill anyone – got it?"

"What did I do," Gray warily wondered as the sphere of water bubbled over to the small potted orchid by the window.

"Nothing but impress Kakashi," Takagi smiled proudly at the coffee blonde Hyuuga, prompting a skeptical look from the younger male. "He probably has some training regimen in mind for you. And who knows? It might help you. He was a former ANBU after all."

Gray shrugged nonchalantly. "Alright, where and when do I meet him?"

"We'll be going around one 'o clock," Takagi glanced at the ticking cuckoo clock hanging on top of his refrigerator. "Mimi, you'll be training under me again for the mean time. We won't have any missions until we fix this crazy rampage of yours. Izumi's going to be your partner as well."

Mimi wailed as she grabbed his vest, shaking him vigorously. "Nooo, anything but that!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

With a begrudging Mimi, Takagi brought Gray over to the three training logs area before handing him over to Kakashi for the time being.

"Just don't get him killed, Kakashi," Takagi warned him with a narrow glower.

"Takagi, that would be the last thing that would happen," Kakashi wondered how protective Takagi could get over Gray especially knowing the fact that the coffee blonde boy wasn't even biologically related to him. "Gray can handle himself just fine."

"You never know what could happen," Takagi slowly responded before backing up and ruffling Gray's coffee blonde hair. "Be good and don't kill anyone."

"You should be telling Mimi that, not me," Gray chuckled good-naturedly, running his fingers through his hair.

"Oh yeah," Takagi laughed along with his student before leaving him under Kakashi. "Come on Mimi, your turn."

Mimi snorted with a disgusted "humph" while following after Takagi out of the three training logs area. Watching their figures fade from a distance, Gray warily glanced back at Kakashi as he revealed a bell in his hand. The coffee blonde instantly retreated to battle stance, narrowing his eyes at Kakashi.

"Do you even know what to do," Kakashi raised an eyebrow as Gray activated the _Byakkugan_. _This kid catches pretty quickly..._

"Get the bell under three minutes right," Gray cautiously analysed Kakashi's movements, lowering his stance a bit. _Where will he move first?_

Kakashi nodded as the tension rose immediately in between them as Gray vanished from the silver haired man's line of sight. Swivelling behind him, Kakashi caught Gray's fist as the blonde boy somersaulted for his signature bicycle kick until the senior easily blocked the kick, accidentally leaving himself open for Gray to reach for the bell. Seeing the triumphant smirk on the boy's face, Kakashi quickly shoved him for a distance until he tripped backwards only to find his foot frozen into the ground.

"_Hyouton: Shimo Senfui,_" Gray lightly lifted his palms from the ground as an ice trail originating from Gray's position sprouted around Kakashi's ankle. [Ice Element: Frost Driver]

Kakashi nodded lightly before giving it a hard kick to smash the ice, lunging towards Gray. The Hyuuga immediately side-stepped while cloaking his hand with _chakra_ for a explosion until Kakashi yanked the boy forward, causing him to lose his balance. However, Gray tried to go for a roundhouse kick only to have Kakashi easily block it and send the boy flying towards the trees. The blonde Hyuuga ninja recovered quickly while springing off the trees, swinging around his frost blades.

_Impressive,_ Kakashi ducked as he retreated back, avoiding Gray's attacks. _He can switch around instantly to throw his opponent off guard. _

Gray then threw down _kunai_ as Kakashi leapt up into the air until something sliced through his clothes. As the silver haired ninja stumbled back, more gashes and tears appeared all over his body when he saw something silver glint under the sun.

_Nylon_, Kakashi eyed it carefully as Gray stood in front of him with a triumphant smirk.

"This is one of my own specialized techniques," Gray tugged the strings a bit, causing them to cut deeper into Kakashi's arm. "This is to compromise for my lack of strength. This is the River of Swords."

Kakashi chuckled lightly before plucking around with it. "I'm guessing there's a special talisman required for me to snap this thing into two?"

"I'd dare you to try," Gray shrugged nonchalantly, narrowing his eyes warily at Kakashi. "But, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

As Kakashi stretched out his arm, another set of strings tore up his sleeves and gloves. Angry red marks from the thread cuts appeared on his arm as he immediately drew his hand back as Gray released _chakra_ into it. The silver haired _Jounin_ chuckled lightly when he cast a glance towards the timer sitting dutifully on the logs.

"Sixty seconds left," Kakashi murmured inwardly to himself until Gray spotted the timer; his eyes widened considerably with a cluck coming from him.

_Crap, _Gray lunged forward while maintaining his grip on the strings, mentally berating himself. _I was too busy trying to beat Kakashi I forgot the objective!_

Seeing him rush forward, Kakashi chuckled lightly while performing the tiger seal. "Haste makes waste."

Gray then only noticed a long thin string beneath him and tripping on it released an assault of _kunai_ and needles flying towards him. Seeing he had no other choice, Gray forcibly let go of the strings before drawing out his own _kunai_ to defend the flying projectiles as some managed to slash past him. His clothes ended up in tatters and shreds as he stumbled back in complete exhaustion.

"You did well," Kakashi noticed the bell rolling towards Gray's feet. "Not a bad tactic."

Gray, heavily breathing, fell to his knees and struggled with whatever willpower he had left to maintain consciousness.

Suddenly, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke passed by when they saw their _sensei_ towering over triumphantly over the _Genin_. However, they noticed their _sensei_ slightly slouching before falling down to his knees and revealing the wounds and slashes inflicted upon him. The pink haired _kunoichi_ stared in astonishment as Sasuke gnashed his teeth in annoyance.

"It took all three of us to take him down and Gray managed to cut him up that badly single-handedly?"

Kakashi found Gray staggering backwards as the boy tried to stand up only to fall forward. Kakashi caught him with a satisfied smile, seeing the progress and the new pattern of attack. The _Jounin_ warned himself ahead of Gray's combined mischievousness and innovativeness and with a little help from Takagi, he managed to discover Gray's one weakness.

"I see you kids watched him battle," Kakashi glanced back to find his team gaping at the fallen Gray, propping the boy against a tree. "He sure can be a candidate for ANBU easily. Problem is – his stamina. It's so badly messed up; it was already obvious that he was rushing himself. "

Sasuke noticed Gray quietly breathing before narrowing his eyes, curling his hand into a fist.

_Bastard, how did he manage to push Kakashi that far when we couldn't do squat?_

"There's no reason for you to be jealous, Sasuke," Kakashi rebuked the Uchiha's thoughts, glancing at Gray. "There were many things Gray had to compensate for. First of all, his physical strength is nowhere near normal. It's actually weaker than most. Secondly, his left leg is his dominant leg but it's already been damaged according to Takagi. The injury became permanent due to his recklessness in training. So, he mainly bases his ability on cunningness."

Sasuke tapped Gray's leg with his left foot, warily watching the coffee blonde male sleep as Sakura squat down to see if the boy was really unconscious.

"Wow, _sensei_ – you're right," Sakura snapped her fingers in front of him, gaining no response. "He's out like a light."

Kakashi sat in an Indian sit, smirking at Gray. "Well then, we'll just have to wait here until he wakes up then."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's chapter 5! Please review!**


	6. Flash To The Past

**Me: I don't own Naruto!**

Chapter 6 – Flash to the Past

Weakly opening his eyes, Gray slightly flinched from the beaming sunlight when he found himself lying against the tree. A fruit suddenly dropped unto his head when he found Sasuke sitting atop of a tree with an apple in hand. The coffee blonde Hyuuga ninja stared at him, bewildered and slightly puzzled.

"How long was I out," Gray looked around cautiously, seeing Sakura and Naruto getting coached by Kakashi on one end.

"Three hours," Sasuke smirked, crunching the apple. "You didn't even bat an eyelash no matter how loud Naruto's yelling became."

Gray frowned slightly at the cynical tone before clambering up to his feet, loosening up his shoulders. Sasuke then jumped off the tree, landing in front of Gray. The coffee blonde hybrid _Genin_ brushed past Sasuke, walking over to Kakashi to get a clearer view.

"Hey, Hyuuga," Sasuke suddenly pulled out a _kunai_ from his shooter. "Think fast!"

Gray quickly spun around for the _Hakkesho __Kaiten_ while freezing water from his jug, throwing the shards like shurikens. Sasuke darted to his left side as Gray launched himself towards the male Uchiha, bringing up his arms to deflect any of Sasuke's kicks. Gray ducked and went for a sweep kick, easily throwing his fellow _Genin_ off guard to land his bicycle kick. Sasuke stumbled back before performing the _Katon__Goukkakyou__no__Jutsu_ [Grand Fireball Technique] while his opponent leapt out of the way before releasing the _Hyouton; __Shimo __Senfui_ [Ice Element: Frost Driver] to wrap around Sasuke's leg. Unable to break it, the male Uchiha found himself victim to the _Hakke __Rokujyon__Sho_ as he flew towards the tree. He waited for the impact until something soft cushioned the impact, revealing piles of snow.

_There__'__s __snow?__At __this __time __of __the __year,_Sasuke crushed the snow in his hand until a kick came in contact with his gut.

Gray balanced on one leg, lightening the weight a little bit. "Not bad although, your abilities must match the arrogance in your words."

Sakura swivelled her head towards Sasuke and Gray, screaming in horror. "Sasuke-_kun_, are you alright?"

Sasuke gripped Gray's leg tightly, trying to lift him off until Gray spun in the air for a somersault kick which he reinforced with some of his _chakra_. The male Uchiha crashed through the tree trunk as the bark splintered behind him, causing the boy to tumble out on the ground. Gray stood there pensively, waiting for Sasuke's next offensive pattern. Without any warning, Sasuke pounced on him with murderous intent while brandishing his _kunai_ while Gray managed to throw him off using the momentum. The two threw fists at one another as one landed against Gray's gut whereas the Hyuuga managed to pop one of Sasuke's _chakra_ points, sending the black haired male to the ground.

"Damn it," Sasuke spat venomously before launching himself at Gray again who sidestepped to simply stick out his foot and trip the boy. "How…?"

Gray retained his defensive stance, watching Sasuke get up. "How…?"

"It was impossible to beat someone like Kakashi and let alone a _Jounin_," Sasuke roared angrily before throwing his leg to kick Gray in the face who redirected it with a circular block. "It's taken me years yet you don't have the history that I have and you could do the same!"

Gray narrowed his eyes at the persistent Uchiha, biting his lower lip while evading his attacks. The Hyuuga Ninja threw his legs back for his signature bicycle kick, forcing Sasuke to stagger back. However, Sasuke slid past Gray's defence and kicked Gray's knee. Having no other choice, Gray landed on his palm for better stability until a rain of _kunai_ shot towards him. He plucked open his water jug and whirled a water slicer towards it, deflecting the _kunai_ easily until Sasuke seized the opportunity and pinned both his arms to the ground.

"I think we've seen enough," Kakashi grabbed Sasuke by the collar while Gray helped himself up. "Sasuke, it's quite obvious that Gray would win this fight. You're thinking with your fists while Gray has a cool head on his shoulders. Secondly, you obviously didn't warm up and third – you're lucky Gray's not using _Byakuggan_ or your _chakra_ will be in a screwed up network. In due time, don't worry. You'll get stronger."

Sasuke begrudgingly shoved his hands in his pockets while Kakashi sighed. He never knew Sasuke to be the type to pick fights just like that; that would be more on Naruto's aisle. Sakura nursed Sasuke's wounds while Gray started dressing his own until he noticed his scarf was missing.

"Where's my scarf," Gray searched frantically until he found Sasuke dangling it in front of him. "Please return it, Uchiha-_san_."

Gray bit his lower lip, trying to use the most polite tone he could with the male Uchiha. He knew that the Hyuuga and Uchiha family were competitive rivals but he didn't know it was this bad. Sasuke smirked, taunting him as he whipped it around.

"Come and get it," Sasuke sneered darkly, whirling it around his finger.

Gray inhaled deeply as he narrowed his eyes at the fluttering scarf, curling his fingers and ignoring the blood slightly trickling out of his palm. Sakura tensed up a bit as silence wedged itself in between them, causing the Hyuuga ninja to prepare a battle stance. His emerald green eyes followed the billowing movement of his scarf, analyzing Sasuke's emotions and movements. With a single twitch, Gray splashed the water against Sasuke's face before dashing past him to steal back his scarf while tying it tightly around his forehead all in one whole motion.

Kakashi sighed, scratching his head in frustration while watching the two suddenly ignite a sense of rivalry. "Alright, let's have a little game."

Sasuke and the others swivelled their heads towards Kakashi who brought out a bell. "Similar to the bell test but this time – you'll be working in pairs. However, the mechanics are different; the game does not end even if I lose it. You have the chance to either steal it from me or to take it from your opponent. Your time limit is thirty minutes. So, you'll be pairing up – Sasuke and Sakura while Naruto and Gray go together. The two nodded while Gray and Naruto exchanged glances with one another as he pressed the alarm.

"Your time starts NOW."

Sasuke and Sakura immediately sprinted away while Gray and Naruto remained steeled into their positions. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the both of them, watching for either movement. Glancing at the trees, the Hyuuga ninja found Sasuke watching their movements as well while Sakura disguised herself under the bush. Gray stuck his tongue out into the air but activated his _Byakuggan_ and stood silently in front of Kakashi. Leaves rustled as the wind blew lightly against their bodies, heightening the tension between them.

"Naruto, start your attack," Gray motioned to Naruto, earning himself a flabbergast expression from the hyperactive coffee blonde.

"What, are you serious," Naruto waved his arms in the air, shaking his head defiantly. "No way – Sasuke, Sakura and I couldn't even take him all at once! What makes you think I can alone?"

"You know _Kage __Bunshin_ don't you," Gray explained to the coffee blonde carefully, making sure his gaze didn't leave Kakashi. "Use it to your advantage. Swarm him."

Naruto, seeing Gray's determined face, shrugged reluctantly. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Trust me on this one," Gray narrowed his eyes as his _Byakuggan_concentrated harder until the flow of _chakra_ became more definite.

Naruto rushed in head-on, placing his hands for his signature move. "_Kage __Bunshin __no __Jutsu_!" [Shadow Clone Technique]

An army of Naruto clones rained on Kakashi as he took them out one by one. Naruto's clones slowly started _poofing _away as the hyperactive coffee blonde ninja continued to rush in with insane adrenaline and speed.

"Naruto flank on the left," Gray commanded. "He'll be dodging in that direction in three seconds!"

Naruto's eyes widened before shrugging as he leapt there and landed his first blow on Kakashi, sending the _Jounin_ away. The silver haired senior stared in awe as he exchanged glances with Gray and Naruto, pondering how the Hyuuga managed to develop his _Byakuggan_ that far. After watching the Hyuuga family and their exhibitions, none of them exhibited that ability let alone the capability to predict movement by simply watching the flow of _chakra_. A small smirk formed on his lips as he darted forward, causing Gray to exert more effort onto his _Byakuggan_.

"Now here's your problem," –Gray swivelled around only to find Kakashi locking him in a full-nelson. "Because you're busy analyzing, you leave yourself open for attack. It's either you know how to switch instantly or you do it at the same time. Otherwise, your offensive power will drastically weaken."

Gray however smirked before using his finger to send a whiplash of water towards Kakashi and slap him, allowing him to snatch the bell. However, a _kunai_ shot past him and pierced it against the tree as Sasuke managed to snatch it from the coffee blonde teenager.

"Sakura," Sasuke shouted as he tossed the bell to her. "Run for it!"

The pink haired _kunoichi_ frantically darted for it until Gray unleashed a set of strings to snatch it back, running with Naruto to hide. Kakashi vanished as he hid amongst the trees, searching for his pupil and his temporary member whereas Sasuke and Sakura decided to go for the hard way. The two blondes hid in one of the taller trees as Gray eased himself on one of the branches, watching them scatter and search for them.

"Wow, how did you do that," Naruto exclaimed excitedly, only to be shushed by Gray. "No really," –he exclaimed in a softer tone. "How did you do that?"

"Taichi was the main reason why I developed that technique," Gray explained while watching them search around the vicinity, carefully analyzing their movements. "His seal sometimes breaks so Takagi-_sensei_ makes me check it every now and then so it doesn't cause any mischief or misfortune."

As Sasuke and Sakura continued to scout the area for any of them, Naruto plucked an apple from the tree before munching on it. "Wow, they're taking awhile."

"You're lucky I know good _chakra_ control to get us up here," Gray narrowed his eyes calculatingly at the other two. "To tell you the truth, Sasuke's a pain in the butt."

"Yeah, someone agrees with me," Naruto grinned cheekily, punching the air until the branch suddenly started to snap. "Uh-oh."

_Shit,_ Gray berated himself silently before swinging himself over to catch Naruto by the legs. "Naruto, whatever you do – do not wail and beg for your life!"

Naruto snapped his mouth instantly as he swung to and fro, looking downward. "Uh Gray, I don't think this is good for my stomach!"

"Yeah, it isn't good for my head either," Gray struggled to maintain the flow of his _chakra_ and his grip on Naruto's leg. _These __are __one __of __the __times __I __wish __I __was __physically __strong __like __Taichi._

Suddenly, his feet loosened as they both started falling. Naruto screamed for his life while Gray inhaled deeply as he performed a set of seals.

"_Hyouton: __Aisu __Kaze __no __Jutsu,__"_ Gray sprayed out a freezing wind as it sculpted into a slide, allowing them to land safely onto the ground. [Ice Element: Icy Wind]

Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura darted towards location as Gray scrambled for the bell only to have Kakashi snatch it back from him.

"Not a bad tactic although," Kakashi looked up, seeing the tree branch nearly snapping off. "You forgot to take into consideration Naruto's lack of body control and _chakra_ control."

Gray nodded weakly while Naruto folded his arms with a disgusted snort while Sasuke and Sakura hated to accept the fact that they showed no success or progress either in trying to steal the bell. Glancing at the sky, Kakashi led them out of the dense forest as they all eased themselves comfortably onto a pad of grass. Gray however found himself leaning against the tree in his usual position.

"Alright, seeing that you four now have been well acquainted with one another," Kakashi sighed in relief, crossing his legs together. "So, I think we can somewhat argue with the _Hokage_ for a higher ranked mission for you kids seeing that we're a bigger group. Secondly, Gray and Sasuke are both _tensai_ in their own right so – the chances of getting a mission of higher rank and pay will be much more probable."

"So _sensei_," Naruto jumped up and down excitedly, inching closer to Kakashi. "What mission are we going to get?"

"We'll start small first to check if you guys can work together," Kakashi glanced at the other three, earning three approving nods from them. "We'll begin with C-class."

All their eyes widened while Gray remained completely stoic as to the news.

"I'm sure Gray already has experience fighting in C-class and above. You guys only experienced your first A-class mission but that was with his team," Kakashi pointed out firmly, causing Naruto's shoulders to drop slightly. "Unlike before, we won't have Taichi and Mimi as powerhouses when it comes to bringing down the rain but this is where your brain learns how to strategize."

They all exchanged glances with one another as Kakashi noticed the sun slowly set. "Well, it's getting late. You all should get some rest. As for me, I'm going to see if I can argue for a C-class mission tomorrow. By the way, Sasuke and Gray stay put for a moment."

As Sakura and Naruto went off to depart for their homes, Kakashi glanced at the two. "I expect you two to learn how to work together instead of goading one another. Sasuke, instead of taunting Gray, try focusing on increasing your own skills and inventing your own. Gray, I'm going to give you a regimen that will kick up your stamina a little."

Then two nodded slowly but not without passing a threatening and menacing gaze towards one another until Kakashi pinched their ear lobes, causing them to squint and flinch in pain.

"So, we're going to train a bit longer until you two get along," Kakashi pulled out a _kunai_, watching their movements. "First, let's work on your coordination."

Sasuke and Gray slowly unsheathed their _kunai_ as well as they watched Kakashi analyze their movement and circle around them. The two of them suddenly sprinted away as Sasuke tried to land a kick to which Kakashi somersaulted away with Gray coming up from behind with a bicycle kick. Kakashi narrowly dodged the Hyuuga ninja's attack before grabbing Sasuke's leg and throwing him towards Gray as they both crashed on one another.

"Damn it," Sasuke roughly shoved Gray off as they both tumbled on the ground. "For starters, stop getting in my way."

"Look who's talking," Gray coldly reiterated until a hand grabbed both of their legs.

"_Doton; __Shinju __Zanshu,_" Kakashi suddenly dragged them into the ground, allowing their heads to peep out of the small hole. [Earth Element; Inner Decapitation Skill]

Sasuke struggled underneath while Gray focused his _chakra_ all over his body only to realize later that his limbs were completely immobilized. Kakashi loomed above them with his _kunai_ still drawn, sighing in defeat.

"Maybe asking you two to work together was a horrible idea," Kakashi scratched his head before walking away. "Oh well, until you two can settle your differences – I'm leaving you two here."

Gray paled considerably whereas Sasuke struggled violently under the earth while Kakashi leaned against the trunk of the tree comfortably reading his _Ichi__Ichi _Paradise. Letting out a disgruntled snort, Sasuke threw a glance at the Hyuuga ninja who closed his eyes deep in meditation.

"If you're gonna sleep and do nothing then, might as well try to help me," Sasuke rolled his eyes sarcastically at Gray, inhaling deeply.

"I'd be more inclined to do so if you didn't demand all the time," Gray nonchalantly shrugged while closing his eyes once again. "I'm going to try breaking us out but..."

"But," Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What's the side-effect?"

"I may accidentally freeze us in the process," Gray opened his eyes while explaining to Sasuke, checking around if Kakashi was still within an earshot. "My idea was to erode the rocks and weather them down so we can dig ourselves out."

"It's worth the risk," Sasuke nodded as he felt the air suddenly drop several degrees, shivering slightly from the cold. "How are you doing that?"

"It's only applicable to a small range though," Gray unleashed his _Byakuggan_ as snow crystals started to form all around them, feeling the earth slightly loosen. "On three..."

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

Both kicked the earth hard as they both escaped the _Jutsu_, shocking Kakashi while Sasuke went on for the attack. Gray, feeling the chill in the air, performed a set of hand seals and started freezing the ground with the _Hyouton: __Shimo __Senfui_. Kakashi, left with no other choice, leapt out of the way while Sasuke waited for him the air and attempted to land a kick on his shoulder. He sailed through the air, avoiding any other aerial attacks until a set of strings weaved themselves through and wrapped all over Kakashi's body.

"Sasuke, take the hit," Gray yanked the strings tightly to restrain Kakashi whilst cutting him in the process.

Sasuke zoomed towards him and punched him straight into the ground, creating a small crack on the ground in the process. As Kakashi rolled away from the flying projectiles, he found himself blocking both Sasuke's and Gray's punches and kicks as they came raining down on him. With a simultaneous arrow kick, the two sent Kakashi staggering back as they charged in again for another assault. The _Jounin_ performed another set of hand seals as he unleashed a fireball flying towards both of them. Having no choice, Gray and Sasuke separated from one another as the ball blazed past them.

"Subconsciously, you both can work together," Kakashi gestured them to stop, beckoning them to come over. "However, you guys still need a little work but I guess that's something only experience in the field can contribute. So, I guess this ends today's session. You two go join up with Naruto and Sakura. I'm going to have a little chat with the _Hokage_."

As Kakashi vanished, Sasuke and Gray walked towards the Ramen House silently without exchanging any heated arguments of whatsoever. As they walked in silence, Sasuke ignored the girls who batted their eyelashes flirtily at him. Gray on the other hand ignored the dark and spiteful stares as he continued heading towards the ramen restaurant.

"So, how did you get here," Sasuke asked slowly, glancing at Gray. "I don't remember seeing you around here."

"I was never born here," Gray responded curtly, shoving his hands into his pocket. "All I remember was being surrounded by four walls… and then, Takagi-_sensei_ took me in."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the coffee blonde boy. "You were taken in by your own master?"

"Not just me but Mimi as well," Gray smiled bitterly before chuckling good-naturedly. "Although, I completely understand your hatred towards one another. Mimi blames you for not being able to stop your brother from murdering the entire clan and I don't know where your hatred is coming from. All I know is – ninja clans tend to have a funny set of politics."

Sasuke, nodding slowly, found himself in front of the Ramen Store. "I'm guessing Naruto and Sakura already headed home?"

"I guess so," Gray shrugged as he turned away to head back to his apartment. "Well, I'm heading back. I think I'm in charge of cooking dinner tonight again."

"I'm guessing Mimi can't cook to save her life," Sasuke chuckled at the mere idea of his cousin cooking, wondering if the house would burn down.

"She can," Gray shrugged nonchalantly before waving goodbye. "That's if you're a fan of grilled vegetables. She's quite the vegetarian."

"I thought you were," Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Gray rolled his eyes.

"Nah, Pescetarian suits my lifestyle better. At least I don't need to wait for vegetables to ripen all the time."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As the next day marked his first teamwork with Team Kakashi, Gray stretched his arms as he glanced at the sun beaming through his window. He suited up immediately before running through the dining room and stuffing a piece of toast into his mouth.

"I gotta go," Gray bid a muffled goodbye as he dashed out the door while Mimi came out with a towel wrapped around her head and Takagi toasting some bread and frying eggs.

Mimi raised an eyebrow at him. "You're really teaming him up with Sasu-Gay?"

"It will be good for his leadership training," Takagi reasoned out with the female Uchiha, shaking his head. "Secondly, if I let you go with them – Sasuke's not going to be the only one dead."

Mimi let out a hollow chuckle, seating herself at the table. "Yeah, I guess. Although, Neji's gonna try and murder Gray if you placed him in Team Guy for training."

"You're one of the very few who know it Mimi," Takagi narrowed his eyes at the tri-streak haired girl, passing her a plate of spinach and eggs Benedict. "Just don't go announcing it to the world. Gray's not very fond of that fact either."

Meanwhile, Gray met up with Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke at the _Hokage__'__s_ office. He slung over his small duffel bag while standing alongside the seven as Naruto began heatedly bashing the _Hokage._

"WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T GO ON HIGHER RANKED MISSIONS," Naruto stamped his foot on the ground angrily, pouting impishly.

_Sandaime_ sighed deeply, watching Naruto's bright blue eyes flicker angrily with frustration. "You see Naruto, missions are not easily attainable. After all, it all depends on your rank whether or not you can handle it. For example, as _Genin_ you are only allowed to accept D-rank missions. It's very rare that they are even allowed C-rank missions."

Naruto slammed his hands on the desk, curling his fingers into a fist. "How come Gray and his team are allowed to pick higher ranked missions huh?"

"That's because they are a six man team," the _Hokage_ argued back. "Secondly, Takagi is a special ANBU in terms of being the captain of the 1st Root Division! Gray and Mimi clearly exceed their ranks in terms of skill and combat level alone!"

"But we have Gray with us," Naruto whined, jumping up and down.

Seeing how desperate and anxious the hyperactive blonde boy was, the _Hokage_ decided to give in to Naruto's desire.

"Fine, I'll give you a C-class mission then," the _Hokage_ smirked, causing Naruto's face to instantly beam up proudly. "Tazuna-_san_, you can come in now."

Kakashi and his team waited for their client to open the sliding door as an old muscular man walked in while holding his _sake_bottle. He wiped the sweat off his brow as he sauntered in with his big heavy backpack. Glancing at the team that stood before him, he chortled mockingly before throwing a glance to _Sandaime._

"YOU'RE SAYING THAT THESE BRATS ARE CAPABLE OF PROTECTING ME," He jeered at the four of them. "They look like they'd rather play with their little fake toy weapons!"

Naruto, feeling his blood boil, spat out venomously. "Who are you calling brat, old man!'

Tazuna shook his head distastefully. "Who else is a brat here huh? Besides, Shorty – you don't look like you have what it takes!"

Naruto shouted before folding his arms with an annoyed grunt. "I sure do! Besides, I'm not that short!"

When Kakashi looked between them however, Sasuke stood over with 4'10 and Sakura needed only one more inch to equalize with Sasuke. Gray however towered over the rest at the height of 5'2. Naruto, upon seeing the height difference, hung his head shamefacedly as the _Hokage_ explained to them the details of the mission.

"Your mission is to escort Tazuna safely to Wave Country," _Sandaime_ ordered but suddenly noticed Gray's face drain itself considerably. "Gray, is there anything wrong?'

Gray snapped himself out the daze, responding politely. "No, nothing at all, _Hokage-sama_."

Slightly quizzical with Gray's answer, the _Hokage_ then decided to dismiss the idea. "Anyhow, you are to escort him and make sure he arrives there safely. He is a very important person in the Wave Country."

Naruto folded his arms with a snort. "Humph, he doesn't look like anything but a bridge builder! I mean – we already did one with a princess and we got good reviews!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Much to Naruto's chagrin however, the mission still pushed through as he trailed behind Sasuke and Sakura. Gray remained behind Kakashi with his hand near his _kunai_, watching the bushes slightly rustle along with the wind. The coffee blonde male ninja cautiously advanced forward until Kakashi lightly dropped his hand on his shoulder.

"You should relax a little; getting tense over nothing chews up your energy too," Kakashi glanced at the other three in front. "I know you're more used to the powerhouse bashing of both Taichi and Mimi but we're definitely not small fry either."

"Kakashi-_san_, it's not that," Gray averted his eyes from the silver haired _Jounin_ before glancing back at the other team. "It's..."

"The destination I presume," Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the coffee blonde boy, earning himself a surprised gaze. "Takagi gave me a little information on that."

Gray hung his head lightly while Kakashi shook his head. "It's alright to feel anxiety and nervousness but letting it screw up your combat quality and prowess is a big no-no."

Tazuna raised an eyebrow at him, noticing his non-interaction with the other ninjas. "Don't you try talking to these kids?'

Gray shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

Mr. Tazuna stared at him strangely, musing mentally to himself. "So, there's the short one, the poker-faced boy, pinky and the mute kid. What a strange bunch."

Seeing his concern, Gray nodded lightly with a rueful smile before continuing his pathway towards the Wave Country. Birds flew into the air as the sky glowed kindly on him, causing him to ease himself a little into the mission until he stepped onto a puddle.

"What's a puddle doing in the middle of nowhere," Gray examined it closely as he found multiple water puddles in front of Tazuna realization smacked into him hard. "Tazuna-_san_, look out!"

Tazuna stopped right in front of one as a ninja jumped out of the puddle, swinging his chain scythe.

"Gehehehe, it's about time you showed up," he unleashed his chain scythe towards Tazuna until a _kunai_forced it to fly awry. "What the hell...!"

Sasuke leapt up for a sky kick whereas Gray immediately grabbed the scythe and whirled it around the ninja to keep him bound. The assailant met Sasuke's kick before plummeting into the ground as more ninjas sprouted from the puddles. Naruto launched himself at one until the scythe embedded itself into his hand and flung him aside while the other ninjas lashed out at Kakashi, constricting him with their chained weapons. Before Kakashi could say anything, the chains tightened until it tore him apart. Sakura staggered back, restraining her urge to scream in horror. Naruto punched one guy as another chain flew after him until Gray grabbed it and froze it instantly.

"What the," the ninja tugged only to have his weapon shatter into pieces. "There's only one clan born with the Freezing Touch!"

Gray narrowed his eyes angrily despite maintaining a stoic expression. "Unfortunately for you, I'm one of its survivors!"

The ninja fell backwards as Gray pounded him with several punches and blowing up several of his _chakra_ points. As the ninjas scampered away, Kakashi appeared before them before wrapping them up with their own chain sickles and tearing them apart. As they fell to the ground motionless, Kakashi walked over to the other ninjas.

"Yo," he waved casually, causing Sakura and Naruto gape at him.

"YOU'RE STILL ALIVE," they sputtered in unison, jabbing their fingers in all directions. "But how!"

Sasuke shook his head with a 'duh' stare. "Obviously, _Kawirimi __no __Jutsu_." [Substitution Technique]

Kakashi noticed Naruto nursing his bloody hand, squeezing all the blood out. "Naruto, remember what happened to Taichi the last time?"

Naruto nodded fearfully and slowly.

"You'll have to do the same thing," Kakashi noted with finality, examining his hand. "Knowing them, assailants always put poison to make sure they don't go down unfulfilled."

Naruto wailed, glancing at his hand. "But I don't want to!"

Seeing the sudden commotion, Sasuke walked towards Naruto. "Are you okay, coward?"

Upon hearing this, Naruto suddenly grabbed his _kunai_ and impale his hand right through.

As the whole crowd was stunned with silence, Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I don't want to be held down like this! I want to be Hokage no matter what! That was my promise!"

Kakashi analyzed the wound again and withheld his snicker. "Well, okay. I lied. You didn't need to stab your hand."

"Eh," Naruto exchanged glances with Kakashi and then his hand. "AAAH! MY HAND IS BLEEDING! MY HAND IS BLEEDING! I'M GOING TO DIE!"

Sakura scolded, "Naruto! Stop inflicting damage on yourself and quit wailing!"

Gray exhaled deeply, face-palming as he shook his head disdainfully, "Man… he's the exact copy of Taichi. He just did that on our recent mission! Hasn't he learned anything?"

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pocket with his usual scowl. "Naruto is still explicably stupid."

As the blonde hyperactive ninja continued to wave his hands in the air, Kakashi quickly slapped it down before examining his wound as the excess _chakra_ rapidly sealed up Naruto's wound.

_I __guess __that__'__s __the __result __of __the __Kyuubi_.

As they began walking again, this time, Naruto tried to look cooler than Sasuke by acting alert and all. He continuously threw _kunai_ into the bushes as animals and other critters escaped from his meaningless assault. Gray glanced around, feeling the breeze gently brush past him while glancing into the dense clumps of trees. His nerves tingled slightly but he chose to ignore it for now.

Sakura resisted her urge to grab and strange Naruto. "Stop acting like an idiot, Naruto!"

Kakashi dropped his hand on Gray's shoulder. "Gray, I think I better rely on you for this."

Gray activated his Byakuggan and he began looking around. Everything seemed clear until he began to notice a light tint of blue in his vision. Squinting a little for better concentration, Gray finally discovered the outline of a human being hidden in the bush.

Tazuna slapped the upside of Naruto's head. "You snot-nosed brat! You could stop pretending now!"

Suddenly, Gray walked over to the bush and Tazuna asked, "What are you looking for? There's nothing there."

His nerves began tingling as Gray felt some vibrations on the floor and he threw a kunai towards the epicentre of the vibration. As the projectile landed, the shadow revealed itself as a bandaged man landed on the top of a branch while balancing himself on his sword.

"Nice to meet you again, Hatake Kakashi."

The four ninjas threw a glance at Kakashi who narrowed his eyes for a moment until realization hit him.

Kakashi glowered darkly. "Long time no see, Momochi Zabuza."

Zabuza smirked when he noticed the team of Kakashi composed of children. "These kids? I thought you were better than that, Copy Ninja Kakashi."

Kakashi looked seriously and lifted his forehead protector and revealed his Sharingan eye and looked into Zabuza's face and slowly, he noticed that the area was filling itself with mist. Sakura gulped as Kakashi instantly drew out his _kunai_ and delivered orders.

"Everyone, defensive formation!"

Gray, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke defended Tazuna as the mist started getting thicker.

As the mist slowly hindered their vision, Sasuke examined Kakashi's outline and found himself trembling as he gripped his _kunai_tightly. "What a murderous intention. I can't even keep my hand still…"

Sensing his student's fear, Kakashi swivelled his head towards the black haired Uchiha. "Don't worry I would never let the enemy hurt my friends."

Out of nowhere, clones rushed in on Kakashi as he was forced to fight them head on. Each and every one of them dissolved into nothing but water as Zabuza got in between them and Tazuna.

"The most sensitive parts to strike are," seeing the panic and horror clearly written on their faces, Zabuza tightened his grip on his sword. "The neck, back, knees, the gut, phalanx…"

Then, he swung his sword in attempt to slice Tazuna in half but Kakashi got in the way.

Sakura clasped her hands on her mouth, gasping with terror. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

But when Kakashi got sliced in half, blood didn't spill. It was water and Zabuza then realized that Kakashi replaced himself with a copy of himself.

Interested as he let out a bemused chuckle, Zabuza smirked. "Very cunning Kakashi. You managed to make the clone truly act like you."

Kakashi descended towards him with a _kunai_ as Zabuza evaded out of the way. Their blades clashed with one another as steel ignited small sparks flying into the air. Zabuza staggered back a few times, receiving a few kicks from Kakashi. However, the silver haired _Jounin_ dug his heels deeply into the ground as to create distance between him and Tazuna. Kakashi launched himself for a blow until Zabuza easily sealed him up in a water prison.

Zabuza chuckled maniacally with an evil grin. "You cannot break out from this prison. It'd be foolish if you did try!"

Zabuza's leftover clones unleashed their assault as Sakura remained behind with the other three boys taking beating. Gray landed a hit on one until it managed to replicate Zabuza's inhumane strength and lock his large hand around Gray's neck, depriving the Hyuuga ninja of any air. Sasuke kicked one away as two more ganged up on him with both giving him a roundhouse kick to the face. More clones that Zabuza created pounded the other three as Gray repeatedly revealed the _Hakkesho __Kaiten_ to prevent any behind attacks.

Without having any choice in the matter, Naruto immediately conjured clones. "_Kage __Bunshin __no __Jutsu_!" (Shadow Clone Technique)

The clones jumped on Zabuza and tried to hold him down but then, Zabuza out-powered them and sent them flying. Sasuke threw a flurry of punches and kicks only to have them all blocked and his last kick grabbed as he was thrown onto the ground and stepped on. Gray threw a few punches and went for a bicycle kick only to get punched in the stomach as Zabuza sent him keeling over.

Naruto immediately dug threw his bag, hurling a shuriken towards him. "Sasuke!"

Using the substitution technique, Sasuke released himself from Zabuza's hold as he took hold of it and noticed a highly different feel about the blade.

Combining two _shuriken_ to create the Windmill Demon Shuriken technique, Sasuke hurled it forward while passing over a signal to Gray. "Gray, use that technique of yours!"

Immediately throwing bells into different patterns, Gray laced them all with his _chakra_. "_Kawa __no __Ken_!" (River of Swords)

The _chakra_ infused nylon string whipped around Zabuza, immediately constricting him. Although the _shuriken_ missed the real Zabuza, the other one beneath it smashed the clone holding Kakashi as a prisoner and forced the water sphere to dissolve. Zabuza forcibly pulled out his arm as the _Jutsu_ collapsed instantly, earning himself a goofy grin on Naruto's face as he emerged from the water.

Naruto punched the air triumphantly with a foolhardy grin. "Hehehe! It worked!"

Kakashi blinked a few times before smiling in approval. "You've really matured, Naruto."

Naruto sheepishly scratched his head as he revealed his plan. "I didn't want to hit Zabuza directly because I knew I'd get my butt kicked so… I used the clones as a diversion and then, I transformed into a hand blade and I let the clone throw me towards Sasuke. Then, Sasuke combined his hand blade and both of the hand blades including the transformed hand blade went straight for you. I hid under Sasuke's that's why there were three. So, I aimed for your arms and it worked!"

Zabuza, snarling angrily, immediately drew his sword to behead Naruto. "You little-!"

Upon seeing the flying sword, Naruto could only yelp as he dove deep underwater. "Gleep!"

Then, when he looked at him again, Kakashi had blocked the blade and both steel materials were clashing and creating sparks.

Zabuza chuckled deviously, watching Kakashi's eyes glitter angrily. "So, we can continue our little fight?"

Kakashi smirked, pushing Zabuza away with his own force. "Yeah."

As they created a distance between one another, their actions slowly became synchronized as their _Jutsu_ began to appear.

"_Suiton; __Suiryuudan __no __Jutsu_." (Water element; Water Dragon Bullet technique)

Two water dragons rose and waters tossed and turned and even flipped Naruto over since he was still in the water. The dragons smashed into each other and beneath them, Kakashi and Zabuza launched themselves at one another for the initiative. Kakashi dashed forward as Zabuza menacingly lunged at him as their blades clashed loudly with sparks flying.

Bewildered, Zabuza increased the speed and pace of his attacks until he finally stopped as he leapt away. "How can Kakashi possibly follow my movement?"

He lifted his right arm up and Kakashi did too. Then, he did a_Jutsu_ sign and Kakashi did the same. Horrified and puzzled, Zabuza narrowed his eyes a little as Kakashi's _Sharingan_ suddenly began to spin around. Staggering back, the _Kirigakure _ninja soon found himself staring back at himself.

Upon seeing Zabuza's distraction, Kakashi seized the chance as pressurized water formed an arch behind him. "_Suiton; __Daibaku __no __Jutsu_!" (Water Element; Great Explosion Technique)

A powerful stream of water appeared and flushed down Zabuza to the other side of the forest. Waters tossed and turned as he slammed against the trunk of one of the trees, remaining in a complete daze.

Zabuza shook his head in denial, recalling the speed of Kakashi's casting. "I don't believe it. He did my next technique that would finish him off faster than me."

Suddenly, pain shot throughout his body as multiple kunai imbedded themselves into his body as Kakashi landed gracefully on the branches. The copy ninja stared down at the renegade ninja mercilessly, gripping his other_kunai_.

Sighing darkly and defeated at his predicament, Zabuza let out a hollow chuckle. "Do you have the power to see the future?"

Kakashi brandished his _kunai_, preparing to bring it down. "Yes. And you are about to die."

When Kakashi was going to deal the final blow, needles went in and knocked Zabuza and temporarily stopped his heart. The four immediately reached Zabuza's carcass until a masked ninja appeared before them, standing in between them and the body. The symbol of _Kirigakure_ engraved itself on the pure white mask as the young ninja bowed his head in apology.

"I'm sorry but I have been pursuing this man for awhile now," he hauled the body over to his shoulder. "I will do you guys a favour by disposing the body for you. Thank you for helping me pursue him."

Before anyone could ask a question, the chasing ninja vanished and Gray darted after him but noticed no trace of the ninja. "Did I see that guy somewhere? Oh well…"

The tension finally relaxed as the water resumed flowing in its calm and tranquil state. Suddenly, a loud _thump_ reached their ears when they looked to their left and found Kakashi on the floor.

Staring in horror, Naruto immediately rushed to his_sensei_. "Kakashi-sensei!"

They picked up Kakashi but his left leg was paralyzed and he couldn't move a single nerve in his leg.

Sakura slung his arm over her shoulder. "Kakashi-sensei, are you okay?"

Kakashi groaned, wincing at his every attempt to move his limbs. "I can't move."

Easing off Sakura's burden, Gray and Sasuke slung his arms on their shoulders instead while Tazuna directed them exactly where to go. The Wave Country revealed many ports and villages walking through the market. The sunset reflected off the bright blue bodies of water as the orange tinted skies calmed their senses after their skirmish. Tazuna revealed to them also the small herbal gardens along with some of his friendly neighbours who greeted them meekly at the presence of seeing them. Gray's expression became more crestfallen as he noticed a rundown mansion at the very end of the village. Small bodies of water surrounded it with vines creeping all over it.

Sakura, seeing Gray ceased walking, grabbed his arm and dragged him along. "Gray, come on! What is wrong with you?"

As they all reached Tazuna's house, he made a brief introduction to his daughter-in-law and grandson – Tsunami and Yunari. The black haired woman smiled as she cooked them dinner, placing rice bowls on the table along with some small pieces of fish. As Tsunami placed another bowl, Gray had suddenly vanished without a trace.

"Hey, where did the mute kid go," Tazuna jerked his head towards the empty seat. "He could've at least said where he was going."

Casting a glance to the brightly lit home, Gray disappeared into the darkness before locating a bloody mansion at the edge of the Wave Country. Sword marks decorated the walls as the _Tatami_ floors remained completely moist while dark red stains replaced the cream coloured walls. Gray emotionlessly sauntered into the house as he entered the kitchen. Turning the knob, he noticed no water came out as tears slowly slipped through his eyes. He fell unto his knees, covering his ears.

_This is the Wave Country. A place I once called home..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's it! Chapter 6 is done. I hope it isn't too bad. Reviews are welcome and I made sure this wasn't Mary-sue.**

**Buh-bye!**


	7. Crimson Memory

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I just own the OCs!**

Chapter 7 – Crimson Memory

With an annoyed sigh, Sakura headed out towards the village in order to search for her missing teammate. Apparently, Kakashi assigned her to the task since Sasuke would probably taunt Gray into the next dimension and Naruto's sense of direction left so much to be desired. Another sigh escaped her lips until she found a familiar coffee blonde male sitting by at the edge of the Wave Country near a huge neglected mansion. As she made her way there, the tension increased drastically inversely proportionate to the temperature as she soon could see her breath.

"Gray," she walked towards him, wondering whether or not he could hear her. "What the heck are you doing? Let's go!"

Gray slowly swivelled his head towards the female, smiling faintly. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute. Just one last thing."

Whipping up a small sphere of water, Gray began freezing it into a Star of Bethlehem flower as he bitterly laid it against the wall. Waves of helplessness washed over him as he cast his gaze into the starry night sky, ignoring the bitter ice lashing against his bare skin.

_Mother, father, Leena – I promise; I won't let you down!_

As the coffee blonde Hyuuga ninja rose to his feet, he quietly sauntered with Sakura towards Tazuna's house. The pink haired _kunoichi_ noticed the melancholic gaze as she folded her arms.

"You know, it's in one of the ninja tenets that you shouldn't let your personal matters interfere with the mission," she lectured as-a-matter-of-factly, wagging her finger dismissively. "Besides, that house looks so dilapidated! For all you know, there are some bandits are locked up in there waiting for you to make a mistake!"

However, instead of being indignant or completely obnoxious – Gray smiled sincerely at her while he glanced at his hands. "I'm sorry and thank you for being concerned. But I can handle myself just fine."

Sakura frowned slightly at Gray's unaffected state as she folded her arms. _Geez, __what__'__s __wrong __with __this __guy? __How __can __he __smile __when __I__'__m __practically __scolding __him!_

"Anyway, did Kakashi-_sensei_ say anything about us proceeding into any advanced training tomorrow," Gray glanced towards Sakura, staring off slightly at the bright moon.

"Not that I know of," Sakura remarked offhandedly, albeit coldly. "_Sensei_'s gonna be paralysed for a whole day so I don't think we're going to have any training in the mean time."

_Geez, __this __guy __is __so __strange!_

"Ah," Gray melancholically glanced towards the other lit up houses, watching the citizens of Wave Country observe them. "Haruno-_san_, do you know exactly what we're fighting against or what we're fighting for?"

Sakura rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Duh, we're here to protect Tazuna-_san_ from other attackers! What kind of question is that?"

"Different motives and different approaches affect the success rate of the mission," Gray glanced up towards the starry blue night sky, smiling a bit. "It's a way of checking one's perception of the mission and how they'll perform on the field. You're definitely the type to simply scrape the mere surface. But, isn't there anything more you want to do?"

Sakura remained completely silent for a moment, pondering on the older boy's words. She analysed his emerald green eyes rolling around for a better peripheral view, blushing slightly at the intensity of his gaze. Unlike Sasuke who portrayed an enigmatic aura, Gray somewhat gave her a more trickster-like charm despite his stolid expressions. She immediately shook her head, steeling her resolve not long before hearing a certain conscience in her head.

_Why would you like a guy like him, Sakura? You just called him "weird" a few minutes ago!_

The pink haired _kunoichi_ found herself mesmerized by his intense gaze directed at the stars. "So, what kind of girls do you like?"

Gray suddenly swivelled his head towards her with a puzzled expression. "Excuse me?"

Realizing the huge blunder, Sakura immediately snapped her mouth shut. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking aloud, hee hee."

_I __hope __he __didn__'__t __hear __anything!_

"I was never really interested in romance," the coffee blonde ninja admitted mildly, running his fingers through his hair. "But, there was this one girl I like. She definitely puts most women to shame but the only problem is – she has this judgemental issue and has eyes for Uchiha-_san_. Then again," –he chuckled bitterly. "What girl in Konoha doesn't have eyes only for Uchiha-_san_?"

Sakura hung her head albeit lightly as they finally made their way to Tazuna's house. Gray lightly knocked on the door before slightly opening it, only to be greeted by Sasuke and Naruto having an eating race. Kakashi remained completely quiet as Tazuna started laughing at the antics of the two boys.

"_Tadaima_," Gray softly whispered before removing his sandals, walking in quietly.

"Don't be such a stranger," Tazuna grabbed his arm, plopping him onto the ground next to Naruto and Kakashi. "Eat up! I'm sure you're exhausted!"

Tsunami greeted him with a motherly smile, handing him a bowl of rice. "I know it's not much but please – eat as much as you need to."

Gray smiled politely, shaking his head. "Um, thank you."

Whispering a soft "_Itadakimasu_", Gray snapped his chopsticks in two before eating slowly while witnessing Naruto and Sasuke go on another eating race. A helpless smile appeared on his lips while imagining himself surrounded by his teammates. Taichi would shove all sorts of food in his mouth and soon, they would get into a yelling match much to Takagi's chagrin. Mimi scared them back into oblivion while Izumi complained to Manyama what a flirt her cousin when it already boiled down that Sasuke liked her. He shook his head in defeat, seeing much resemblance until he felt something tug his shirt. The moment he swivelled around, he found a baby smiling at him with bright green eyes just like his. His eyes widened in shock as the baby began nipping his shirt and the moment he tugged it away, the baby started crying. He glanced around, wondering why nobody could hear the baby but him. However the moment he extended his hand to comfort the small child, the baby suddenly stopped crying and faced him with drenched hair, eye-less sockets and its mouth gaping wide for a loud roar causing him to leap away with his _kunai_ drawn out.

"Gray, is everything alright," Kakashi's voice snapped him out of his daze as he found people staring queerly at him.

"I-I'm sorry," Gray uneasily sheathed his _kunai_, looking back to where the baby approached him. "I guess I'm just lacking sleep."

_That__'__s __odd,__Takagi __didn__'__t __mention __that __he __hallucinates._

Kakashi narrowed his eyes as Gray finished whatever remained of his food, checking the place Gray's eyes focused on. The boy seemed completely rattled even going as far as drawing a weapon in the middle of nowhere. During his first meeting with the Hyuuga ninja, Gray showed no signs of psychological disorder but somehow – Gray suddenly started getting weird reactions. Observing the place, Kakashi found nothing except a small picture with a family: Tazuna, Yunari [the grandson], Tsunami and a rip in the picture. However, the gray haired _Jounin_ refused to ask until Sakura's eyes managed to see the picture as well.

"Um," she pointed questioningly at the photograph, glancing at the ripped edges. "How come there's a huge tear on the photograph?"

Suddenly, the tension in the room weighed heavily against their shoulders as Yunari became eerily quiet. Tsunami sadly stared at the pots and pans she began washing as Tazuna lowered his head.

"There was a man before who came here," Tazuna finally started narrating the story. "He saved Yunari once from drowning and made everyone else in this village happy. In fact, he had a few friends of his own here – a snow village ninja and one of your colleagues settled here. It wasn't before long that he married into the family. Kaiza brought much happiness into the village until Kaito came in to take the village for himself. Everything then went downhill from there..."

As an overwhelming silence came over them, Yunari mumbled softly while hiding his eyes. "That's why you shouldn't even bother do anything anymore. Just go home."

Upon hearing the boy's words, Naruto slammed his fists onto the table. "No way, there has to be a way! You can't just sit there and do nothing!"

"So what? You're just going to end up dead anyway," the little boy glared angrily at Naruto as the blonde ninja met his gaze with the same intensity until Yunari stormed away.

Tazuna sighed as he watched Naruto storm away as well. "Yunari has always been sensitive about that topic. Kaiza was killed by those people and to him – Kaiza was everything; a hero, a mentor and a father. As of now, nobody has been able to defy Kaito. Everyone's afraid they will face the same fate he did..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sasuke, Gray, Sakura and Naruto followed Kakashi into the forest the next morning as the _Jounin_ hobbled along on his crutches. The wind gently swept past them as the leaves rustled in the air, allowing Sakura to relax. The black haired Uchiha warily surveyed his surroundings whereas Gray shoved his hands into his pocket while staring at the bright blue sky.

"Alright, today we're gonna learn a whole new level of control," Kakashi smiled as he leaned against the crutches. "For starters, we learn how to control _chakra_ by doing our usual _ninjitsu_ right? In this case, we're going to train that part in order to avoid wasting so much _chakra_."

"And how do we do that," Naruto stared at Kakashi awkwardly, looking around excitedly.

Kakashi pointed up, explaining to them normally. "We're going to climb a tree."

Sakura gaped at his incredulous idea. "How's that supposed to help us?"

"I'm guessing without our hands right," Gray raised an eyebrow at Kakashi as the elder _Jounin_ nodded.

"Glad you pick up easy," Kakashi smiled before performing the tiger seal, glancing at one tree for a moment. "First, you focus _chakra_ at your feet however – you have to know the right amount to stick otherwise you'll slip and fall. Observe."

With silence overwhelming them, Kakashi began focusing the _chakra_ onto his feet while walking towards the tree and began climbing it. Everyone stared in astonishment as Kakashi hung upside down from the tree without holding anything but his crutches. He chuckled lightly at their expressions, seeing Sakura become instantly pale. Sasuke clenched his fist in determination whereas Naruto began jumping up and down in excitement.

"Now you all have to concentrate otherwise you're going to fall and snap your necks," Kakashi reminded them carefully, watching them prepare a _kunai_. "Use the _kunai_ to mark the distance you reached on the tree. Your time starts now."

Leaping towards the tree, Sasuke worked his way up until he heard a sudden snap beneath him. The tree caved in, forcing him to push himself away from the tree and mark the spot. Naruto found himself unable to climb while Sakura immediately found herself at the first branch. Gray remained on the ground for a moment, looking at the tree.

"Gray, why haven't you started yet," Kakashi raised an eyebrow as Gray shook his head with a devious smile.

"Sorry, I was wondering how high this tree was," Gray smirked mischievously as he diverted his _chakra_ into his legs instantly, running bounds on the tree.

Sakura stared in awe as Kakashi watched Gray immediately surpass Sakura's border. Feeling a slight ache in his knee, Gray marked the top before jumping away and landing on the ground gracefully without a sound. Naruto gaped in awe while Sasuke scowled on one side. Sakura pouted impishly, wondering how he did it fast. Kakashi glanced at the reaction of the other three, wondering how Gray managed to catch up that fast until he remembered the battle between him and Zabuza. The Hyuuga ninja showed no difficulty in walking on water and that proved to be the more advanced part in ninja training.

Naruto grabbed Gray's shirt, shaking him senseless. "Whoa, teach me how to do that!"

"It's believing that you're feet are adhesive," Gray explained while pointing to the tree, laughing kindly. "It's like growing small sensors on your feet when you climb up the tree. The first thing you do is focus it while on ground and estimate the height you want to go. The second part is – once you feel the vibrations on the ground or even the slightest tingling, that's when you start climbing."

Naruto nodded eagerly, powering his feet with _chakra_. Waiting for a few moments, the blonde hyperactive ninja sprinted towards the tree and began climbing it with intense speed. Kakashi chuckled lightly upon noticing Sasuke's expression. Soon, Gray began climbing again along with Sakura and Sasuke. With sweat pouring down profusely, Gray shook his head immediately until noticing Naruto's _chakra_ suddenly fading out and the hyperactive blonde started plummeting into the ground. Without any hesitation, Gray changed direction and grabbed Naruto's arm before hauling him up onto one of the branches while he crash landed against his back with a loud _thud_.

"That was an epic fail," Sasuke jeered, watching Naruto ease himself up on one of the branches. "You can't even climb the branch without using your hands."

Naruto, losing his temper, jumped down before grabbing Sasuke's shirt. "You bastard, what did you say?"

Sasuke chuckled darkly while his eyes narrowed evilly at the _jinchuuriki_. "He's a complete failure and he can't even honour his own parents properly."

Without any warning, Naruto prepared to throw a punch until Gray pushed them away from each other. "Sasuke, if you're not going to say anything smart or productive – best you nail your mouth shut. Secondly, Naruto – don't start a fight here."

Sakura immediately stood in front of Sasuke. "Naruto, back off!"

Kakashi sighed in defeat, watching the four bicker with one another. "Sakura would side with Sasuke, regardless of the situation and whether or not he's right or wrong."

Seeing Sakura in front of him, Sasuke folded his arms with a dark sneer on his face. "You're worse than him. Nothing but a complete misfit found in the middle of nowhere. I bet your mom cursed that day you were born. To be frank, you never even belonged anywhere."

Without any sense of mercy or compassion, Gray whipped out a stream of water before lashing out at Sasuke venomously. His emerald green eyes flickered angrily as he relentlessly lashed out at Sasuke again and again until Kakashi held his arm back, causing the water to fall unto the ground. Breathing heavily, Gray remained stoic but his aura immediately spelled death for the male Uchiha. The water even began evaporating into steam as Sakura noticed the bright red welts on Sasuke's arms.

"Enough," Kakashi raised his voice slightly, shocking the team. "Sasuke, not everyone's like you – deal with it. Naruto, don't start a fight and Gray, keep a cool head!"

The coffee blonde hung his head, showing no hints of remorse. Naruto remained quiet while Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Gray. The Hyuuga ninja immediately began calming his rapidly pounding heart before the wind suddenly began to freeze into mist, allowing him an escape route. The mist dissipated the moment Gray vanished, causing Naruto to suddenly search around.

"He was never part of this team anyway," Sakura shrugged nonchalantly. _He__'__s __been __a __weirdo __ever __since __we __came __here._

_Gray was known to be the most emotionally stable one in Takagi's team. Did he just hand me a ticking time bomb?_

Watching the other two resume their training, Kakashi glanced at Naruto for a moment as the hyperactive blonde now wore a crestfallen expression on his face. He sighed deeply to himself, wondering what motivated Sasuke to be extremely antagonistic towards his other two teammates. Sure, he had the adoration of his fellow _kunoichi_ but that didn't entitle him a right to mock and taunt the others who had none. Shaking his head disdainfully, Kakashi signalled the others to approach him.

"Alright, I'm gonna go find Gray before he gets himself killed or rather does something in his clouded state," Kakashi explained slowly to the three of them. "First of all, Sasuke if you're going to be a douche bag – at least warn us ahead. Naruto, try to work hard because Gray's not always going to be your teammate and Sakura – think properly for once instead of completely siding with Sasuke. Gray's proven his worth on the other missions. Sasuke, you yourself should know this since you were partnered with him the last time. To be honest, if I were him – I could have easily left you for dead but he didn't. This is probably why _Hokage_ didn't want to give you all a higher ranked mission even if we're five people. For starters, you're all messing up and what did I say the first time we had the Survival Test?"

Sakura repeated slowly, hanging her head bitterly. "Those who don't value the ninja rules are trash but those who do not value their teammates are even lower than trash."

"Exactly," Kakashi sighed in relief, thanking his lucky stars that Sakura remembered. "I also made a mistake in not asking Gray for his reaction towards the mission but he prioritized his client which is a good thing. And when I went searching for information, it turns out – Gray's more conflicted than he shows. Sasuke, you only have a vengeance spree running in your little head and Naruto wants to be _Hokage_ which I am not saying it's wrong. I'm not sure you know this but do you know how Gray became a _Konohagakure_ ninja?"

Sasuke snorted with a deep scowl. "Apparently, he just showed up in the middle of the year why?"

"It's a deep mystery as to where he came from but Takagi just showed up with him one day," Kakashi shook his head. "I'm going to look for him."

Naruto immediately followed after Kakashi along with a begrudging Sasuke and an obedient Sakura.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Feeling his blood boiling inside of him, Gray knitted his eyebrows together while ignoring the steam evaporating from the ponds he passed by. As the coffee blonde walked aimlessly, he laughed bitterly to himself the moment the mansion faced him. The ice Star of Bethlehem remained completely untouched as he bowed down, falling unto his knees.

"Hi mom, it's been so long hasn't it," Gray smiled weakly while tracing the dilapidated concrete walls. "Dad, Leena, I'm sorry for not coming back any sooner."

"Who's Leena?"

Gray immediately drew out his _kunai_, facing Kakashi and the others before narrowing his eyes icily. "Don't do that. I might have frozen you by accident."

"Gray, apparently you haven't told Takagi anything about yourself," Kakashi folded his arms, analysing the broken down house. "So tell me, when did you start hallucinating?"

Gray shook his head, covering his face abashedly. "This was the first time I actually felt my heart racing every time I neared this house. It's as if every nerve in my body is telling me to run for my life. It remembers that anxiety – the very same anxiety that seized me the day when everything happened."

Sakura gently traced the walls before managing to push open a broken door. "Wow, what happened here?"

Gray coldly whispered upon the memory, clenching his fist tightly. "This is where everything started, when everything became nothing but grey and red."

Sasuke cringed at the sight of the state of the mansion, recalling the image of his own bloodstained home back at _Konoha_. _This __place __looks __worse __than __mine._

"My parents came from two different villages; my mom was from _Yukigakure_, a minor village under the _Kirigakure_ while my father is from _Konoha_," Gray softly narrated while walking through the dilapidated and ruined rooms._ "_During one of their missions, they fell in love with one another and both clans forbade the union. In rebellion, they both sought refuge here in the Wave Country."

Sakura began looking at the picture frames, dusting it carefully upon seeing a happy family with two children: a boy and a small baby. "What happened back then?"

(_Flashback)_

"I learned about my powers at the age of two and six months after my sister was born."

Leena gurgled cheerfully while her father played with her whereas Gray started fooling around and sometimes playing pranks. Laughing and smiling came very easily to him as sometimes he would do the traditional bucket on the door trick to get his kicks out his father. His mom on the other hand would laugh at his mischievousness as he started screaming all over the house. Seeing other toys kids had, Gray easily invented his own with water after discovering his powers during a bath before completely freezing them into little statues and figurines. One morning, two year old Gray went to the backyard of his house and saw his mom performing something what he thought was a magic trick.

He stared in astonishment before jumping down eagerly. "Ooooh, Mommy, what's that?"

Horrified by her son's sudden appearance, the woman immediately cancelled the swirling dragon before running towards her son. He expected an explanation but instead...

SLAP.

Feeling the sting in his cheek, Gray whimpered as he hung his head to nurse his swollen wound. "Ow..."

Seeing her son about to sniffle and cry, she too began to have tears spilling out of her eyes as she embraced her son. "Gray, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..."

Gray immediately embraced her, sobbing and burying his face into her long wavy coffee blonde hair. "Mommy, I'm sorry! I didn't see anything – I swear!"

Gently brushing his coffee blonde hair, she gently cupped her boy's face before passing him a motherly smile. "It's alright, Gray. Mommy's not angry. I'm just glad you don't know what it does yet."

"However, I didn't know that was the last time I'd see her smile at me. That would be the last time I would hear my sister giggle. And the last time, I would actually wrestle with my dad."

Playing with some other kids, Gray began tossing around the ball until he noticed people gathering at his house. Shrugging it off for a moment, the two year old believed that maybe it was some crazy party for his baby sister which obviously he didn't find himself entertained in. However, nerves began tingling at his back and forced adrenaline into his legs to make him run towards his house. He wondered through the bustling crowd as murmurs echoed throughout the air.

"What's going on," Gray pushed his way through until his heart froze at the sight of the bloodied doormat.

He heard his sister's cries which were soon ended in an abrupt silence. His body froze as the two year old boy fearfully stepped into his home as bloodied scenes greeted his eyes. His father remained completely mangled with his neck completely cracked while his sister remained in the bloody kitchen sink with murky water. The attacker still remained in place as he held Gray's mother by the neck while she extended her hand.

"Gray, run!"

Gray, paralyzed by fear, watched the attacker violate his mother's naked body before stabbing her mercilessly and crushing her with a hundred puppets. Blood splattered against his face as the ninja turned towards him with a slow smile. Remembering what his mother told him, he immediately searched for the forehead guard and saw a slashed out hourglass. The man with bloody red hair threw his mother's mutilated corpse aside before walking towards him.

Gray, filled with fear and anger, awakened to his father's power that lay sleeping in him: the _Byakuggan_. With a determined and ruthless howl, the coffee blonde boy laced his hands with _chakra_ as the water swirled around them. His attacks flew out without leaving anything to chance. The man snickered at his pathetic attempt, walking past him easily. Horrified, Gray chased after him until he felt a stinging sensation on his face. Blood splattered onto the ground as he traced a deep cut slashed across his face.

Chuckling sardonically, the man didn't even bother turning around to give Gray eye contact. "I'll be waiting for the day you're ready to kill me... hybrid ninja."

(_End __of __Flashback_)

"I'm sorry for being a nervous wreck lately," Gray admitted mildly before standing up. "I know my actions towards him were highly intolerable but I couldn't take what he said lying down. There are days when water can be passive and gentle and when water can lash out with a scalding or freezing terror."

Sasuke found himself seized by realization as he observed the vicinity. He had the fortune of seeing his parents for at least seven years. Naruto never even saw his and was despised all his life. Gray only saw his for two years and it was amazing how a two year old could absorb all that information.

"How long has it been," Kakashi watched Gray create another patch of flowers.

"It has been eleven years, _sensei_," Gray shook his head while stopping the tears that were threatening to spill out of his eyes. "Takagi-_sensei_ knows everything about me. He's been more than just my _sensei_ to me. I owe him a lot, Kakashi-_sensei_ and I don't intend to fail his expectations here either."

Sasuke however, finally decided to swallow his pride. "Sorry..."

"It's alright, I had no right to lash at you with scalding water either," Gray smirked lightly while walking past him. "I'll start training again. We're wasting a lot of time just dwelling on the past."

Watching him leave them at the house, Sakura clutched her dress hard while imagining the horrors. "For a two year old to see all that, it's horrible to have a nightmare like that."

"For a two year old kid, he had photographic memory," Kakashi closed the door behind them. "He recalled every single detail and the house speaks for his story."

Upon reaching the forest area once again, Gray started focusing deeply into meditation before climbing again. His body refused to comply as he managed to reach only half the distance he did awhile ago, resulting with him crashing on his back once again. Sensing his clouded mind, Sakura quietly walked over to him and extended her hand. Gray stared at her warily, watching her blush wildly.

"I can help you," Sakura fought down her wild blushing, trembling slightly. "But, that's only if you want me to!"

A small chuckle bubbled from his throat as Gray gently took her hand while allowing her to pull him up. "Sure, I don't see what's wrong with that."

Reminding him of the basics, Sakura smiled kindly at Gray as she watched him work hard while encouraging Naruto gain control over his _chakra_. Unlike most boys who she preferred to have an enigmatic presence, Gray emitted a more trickster yet comforting presence as he often used his mischievous drawl to interact with the other two boys.

"Haruno-_san_, I'm sorry for making you all worry yesterday," Gray lowered his head, averting his gaze from her.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I should be the one sorry. I did just yell at you out of nowhere."

"Then I guess its bygones be bygones," Gray chuckled lightly, smiling sincerely at her.

Sakura, feeling heat rush up her cheeks, immediately slapped her hands on to disguise them. _My, __my, __he __looks __even __better __than __Sasuke. __Not __only __that, __he __notices __me __too!_

The next day, Kakashi permitted both Gray and Sakura to skip their training after seeing the results of their teamwork. Naruto and Sasuke however remained in the forest until night, struggling with their _chakra_ control.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**-That's chapter 7! Hope you like it! By the way, if you will flame me, not too harsh please? Thanks. :D**


	8. Round Two, Fight!

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 8 – Round Two, Fight!

Sitting by the bridge, Sakura hummed contentedly to herself while Gray started entertaining little children. Some kids sat in front of him as he shaped the water into a dragon and started whirling it around. Kids stared with awe and astonishment as mothers accompanied them to watch his water tricks. With his usual mischievous smirk, he started making it snow as he made little ice flower clips for the little girls whereas the boys had ice scooters. The pink haired _kunoichi_ found herself astonished and enchanted by Gray's kindness despite him being a little detached from many of his peers in _Konohagakure_. Soon, some of them asked for stories as he explained to them what happened on their way here and how Naruto devised the plan to defeat Zabuza with Kakashi dealing the final blow. However, one little kid tugged his shirt.

"Hey _aniki_, how come you didn't do much on their way here? Didn't you come with them?"

"I prefer telling the story the way it happened because to be honest, I'm not that admirable," he admitted mildly before whipping up another sphere of water and moulding it into a toy car. "It's like how my _sensei_ says it – I'm just a freakishly lucky guy. It's hard to tell whether or not it's purely because of my own skill or if there were external factors."

She nodded absentmindedly while watching him entertain the kids and simultaneously keeping tabs on Tazuna-_san._ A small smile crept up her lips as her green eyes surveyed the children's happy expressions as they began tugging Gray around while he easily accommodated them. Most ninja would end up addressing kids as "brat", "squirt" or anything demeaning but Gray was yet to use any insult. The coffee blonde boy pat one of the kids on the head before performing some water trick with the water shining and reflecting all the colours of the rainbow.

"Gray-_kun_ really did have good intentions," Sakura dreamily watched Gray deal with the kids, gently explaining to them things. "I can't blame him for unleashing his wrath at Sasuke-_kun_ like that. Who would've thought Gray-_kun_ witnessed his family being violated and massacred in front of him? Perhaps the Hyuuga clan knows something? Which reminds me, where is Sasuke-_kun_? He should've been here earlier than Naruto."

Tazuna glanced at Sakura who stared dreamily at the bright blue sky, sighing in defeat. "All that girl thinks about is boys. The three are equally weird; the hyperactive blonde kid, the emo freak and the perpetually relaxed and calm one. Well, I can't criticize them for everything they have done for me. Besides, all of them ain't bad."

Gray relaxed a bit while gazing at his reflection, wondering what other changes there have been in the Wave Country. Most of the people didn't even remember him but Gray remembered distinctly the night he left and survived the wilderness. The water rippled lightly as he began manipulating flow, recalling his mother's words.

"_Water belongs to two worlds that of celestial and of natural. As Pisces, you are in deep connection with the two elements that make it so: Moon and Ocean."_

Watching the water flow to and fro, Gray slowly moulded into a ball before freezing it and returning into the water. Solid to liquid became easily reversion for him but gas to liquid let alone solid to gas meant complete sublimation and his chakra sat way below the requirements. Sighing to himself, he directed his gaze towards Tazuna-_san_ while some kids were playing around nearby.

However, things proved to be completely difficult for the other two.

While Naruto remained on the floor completely splattered and within a class by himself, Sasuke resisted the urge to fall asleep as he glanced at the tree. The mark where his foot had accidentally cracked some pieces of bark irked him beyond imagination as he focused his _chakra_ into his feet again before launching himself at the tree and climbing again. However, his frustration gave way when he slipped and crashed face first into the ground.

"My, my, my," Kakashi shook his head disdainfully, looking up from his little pocket book. "Tell me – how long is it going to take for you to get it? For an Uchiha, it sure takes long. Naruto, I understand but Sasuke – you're unable to match the arrogance you had earlier towards Gray."

Sasuke, gnashing his teeth in frustration, attempted to climb again until noticing Naruto squawked or complained for a moment. The blonde boy remained completely silent as he held the _kunai_ in his hand without batting an eyelash. Blue _chakra_ swarmed at Naruto's feet until he decided to approach him, remembering Sakura advised him about climbing trees.

"Naruto, what did Sakura tell you," Sasuke sauntered towards him curtly as he shoved his hands into his pocket, causing Naruto to fumble around with his weapon accidentally.

Naruto snorted in disgust, folding his arms with an impish sticking out of his tongue expression. "It's a secret!"

Sasuke stared at him strangely before returning the expression, analysing the tree from his point of view. His grip on the _kunai_ tightened considerably as the wind rustled through his jet black hair. Leaves floated near his feet as he narrowed his glare at the tree.

"Block everything out of your mind," –Sasuke swivelled his head towards Naruto who sat on one of the branches of the trees, happily swinging his legs. "Well, that's what Sakura told me. I'm just thinking about what Gray said too about climbing trees."

Sasuke nodded stiffly before returning his gaze to the tree, feeling the _chakra_ build up beneath his feet. _Here __goes __nothing._

On the other hand, Gray sighed for the umpteenth time to himself wondering how uneventful the whole mission became. He cast a sideward glance to the kids playing around with the little ice toys he made them, thinking about other things. Taichi and the others usually worked well with one another although he could imagine Takagi growing more sprouts of white hair. A mischievous smirk appeared on his lips as he relaxed himself against the railings.

"So," Sakura smiled sweetly, leaning against her palms. "Do you often hang out with the other guys?"

"If other guys you mean Taichi and Kiba then I guess yeah," Gray stared at her incredulously for a moment, chuckling impishly with a mischievous drawl. "What? You thought I was gay or something?"

Sakura stared at him stupidly, flushing out of embarrassment. "No, I didn't mean anything like that! I mean – you always seemed so lonely..."

Gray folded his arms with a nonchalant shrug, inhaling the fresh summer air. "When one has tasted true despair, it tends to imprint itself forever into his memory. He or she can't do anything about it as the mere mention of it causes palpitations.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Night prowled by as Sakura and Gray followed Tazuna back home. As the pink haired _kunoichi_ sat down for dinner, Gray crunched on an apple he had recently bought from one of the stands. Suddenly, stumbling through the door Naruto entered with slinging over Sasuke's arm onto his shoulder as they fell onto the ground. Silence filled the whole room when suddenly someone's stomach decided to growl, causing Naruto to sheepishly scratch his head. Sasuke, rolling his eyes, slid over to the other end of the table before grabbing a rice bowl.

"How's everything going, Tazuna-_san_," Kakashi glanced over at the other two ninjas that had accompanied him. "I trust Sakura and Gray did their job very well?"

Tazuna chortled, offering a swig of sake to the politely declining Kakashi. "The kids didn't do a bad job. You'd actually think that Gray's used to handling rambunctious children."

"I'm sure; his _sensei_ taught him a lot of things," Kakashi chuckled sheepishly at the idea. _Although __his __team __also __deserves __some __credit __for __that __too, __considering __how __rowdy __they __are __as __well._

"Anyway, I'm quite surprised that Kato hasn't shown up yet," Tazuna frowned albeit slightly, glancing towards the unfinished bridge. "Once that bridge is done, the Wave Country won't need him anymore. We can finally expel him from the village."

Kakashi nodded solemnly, recalling the villagers murmuring things about Kato until the stubby man sauntered into the village. He barely reached Kakashi's shoulder but the big brutes behind him would terrify anybody who was not a ninja. As a _Jounin_, he could have easily taken him out but the possibility of him bringing even more reinforcements quickly made Kakashi rethink his strategy. Seeing it as an opportunity wasted, Kakashi pondered for a moment if it could be salvaged before returning his thoughts regarding his team's progress. Naruto shovelled food into his mouth as Gray tried to warn him about getting indigestion only to have his warning fall on deaf ears. Sasuke on the other hand completely ignored everything else as he raced Naruto once again; shovelling as much food as he could into his mouth and having Sakura express her concerns.

Looking around, Naruto swallowed hard while simultaneously maintaining a lead over the black haired Uchiha. "Hey, I don't see Yunari anywhere. Where did he go?"

"He probably went to the terrace," Tazuna sadly hung his head, recalling the image they all witnessed regarding Kaiza's death. "Kaiza was like a beacon of hope to us and seeing that all shattered before us was horrible. Kato immediately began bullying people the moment Kaiza left this world."

As lights were being put out, Kakashi strolled towards the terrace where he found Yunari holding the torn piece of Kaiza in his hand. Tears brimmed at his eyes as he sat on the railing, sobbing to himself. The silver haired _Jounin_ walked over to him quietly, alighting his feet as much as he could to prevent any noise.

"So, that's where the other part of the photograph went," Kakashi strode towards the boy curtly, causing Yunari to clutch the picture against himself tightly.

Yunari hung his head lightly. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to yell out so loud..."

"It's alright although," Kakashi sat next to him, stargazing. "If there are people who can understand you, it's Naruto and Gray. Sasuke, I highly doubt though."

Kakashi glanced at the photo, watching Yunari aimlessly stare at it. "So, you've kept that picture for awhile I suppose?"

Yunari nodded, sobbing angrily. "That guy doesn't know anything! He doesn't know how it's like to lose someone close to you!"

Kakashi flinched slightly at the sudden outburst as he continued stargazing. "Well, I think he'd be the best person to talk to."

Yunari quit his sobbing and he looked at Kakashi and listened intently.

Kakashi, realizing that he now had the boy's attention, began explaining. "All his life, Naruto lived without his parents. Or should I say he never saw them?"

Yunari found himself unable to disguise the shock on his face.

"But, Naruto didn't give up. Even though he was known as the demon fox," Kakashi recalled the times he saw the boy sitting all alone on a swing. "He kept on trying hard and he said that he would become Hokage no matter what."

Suddenly, Yunari remembered Naruto's extremely determined self.

_I'll prove it to you! I'm going to become Hokage no matter what, believe it!_

Yunari saw Naruto's determination and continued. "There is one more person who could understand you. You could also talk to Gray. He might give you a little bit more light than I can."

Yunari wiped away the brimming tears in his eyes, casting a bitter glance towards the bright white moon. The water beneath rippled with a small leaf floating on the very surface towards him as the picture of Kaiza gleamed under the moonlight. The little boy ultimately remained silent while Kakashi walked away. Yunari remembered the blonde haired ninja with a blue scarf over his forehead and his forehead protector around his neck and before making a mental note to himself to talk to Naruto.

Meanwhile, Naruto was outside training and he was doing good until he started getting sleepy.

Naruto climbed the tree over and over again, thinking. "I'm going to become Hokage! I can do it!"

However, his body could only take so much as he collapsed into a deep sleep.

The next morning, birds were all over him and Haku was there in a pink robe. He saw Naruto on the floor and recognized him. He was about to take his chance to choke him but instead, he shook him to wake him up.

Haku gently shook him up. "Wake up. It's morning already."

Naruto groggily sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Did anything pass by?"

Haku tilted his head onto the side innocently. "Of course not, it was just me."

Naruto surveyed the area around, wondering if there was anybody else. "One-chan, what are you doing out here all alone?"

Haku realized that Naruto thought that he was a girl and he decided to go along with it and smiled kindly. "I'm getting medicine for a friend."

Naruto jumped up immediately, grinning impishly. "Oh. Can I help?"

With a kind smile, Haku led Naruto to the spot where they were supposed to be choosing some medicinal herbs. While pulling out a few, Haku glanced at Naruto eagerly pull out the plants. "Hey..."

Naruto swivelled his head towards him. "Yeah?"

Haku smiled bitterly. "Do you have a goal in life?"

Naruto profoundly stared at him for a moment before punching the air. "Yeah! I'm training hard to become Hokage!"

Haku smiled fondly at his attitude. "That's a nice goal. I don't think I have one."

Naruto stared at him incredulously. "But you gotta have one! Like, protecting the ones you love right?"

Haku, although a bit astounded, smiled at the idea. "Yeah, I guess you do have a point there."

Naruto grinned impishly. "It's nice protecting someone you love. It gives you a nice feeling."

A helpless smile appeared on Haku's face as he dusted his _kimono_ before standing up. "I'm sorry but I have to go now. Thank you for helping me."

Naruto goofily grinned at him, adjusting his headband. "No problem!"

When he was about to vanish from Naruto's sight, he decided to add a little humour to the conversation. "Oh, by the way, I'm a boy."

Naruto stared at him disbelievingly, grabbing his hair before wailing loudly. "WHAAAAAAAAAAT! HE LOOKS A LOT BETTER THAN SAKURA-CHAN AND HE SAID HE'S A BOY! HAS THIS WORLD GONE CRAZY!"

Chuckling, Haku turned around while remembering Naruto's face and steeling himself to the task at hand.

As Haku departed, he came across Sasuke. Although they went the same path, they ignored each other and Sasuke went off to search for Naruto. The wind rustled past both of them but neither noticed one another or the sense of familiarity that they may have seen that certain person before. However, the black haired Uchiha focused more on finding his missing teammate.

Upon finding him, Sasuke whacked Naruto at the upside of his head. "Come on, breakfast. Or don't tell me your small brain didn't tell you that?"

Naruto snorted and Sasuke smirked. He just enjoyed teasing Naruto.

When they got back, Naruto fell asleep again and Sakura watched her blonde teammate immediately doze off. "How long is he going to sleep?"

Kakashi chuckled lightly, observing the dirt all over Naruto's clothes. "He must've been training hard after exploding at Yunari. Let him sleep."

Watching Naruto snore, Gray sighed dejectedly to himself. "Exactly like Taichi although he doesn't snore like a train."

Kakashi slung on his vest and prepared his weaponry. "Alright. With one ninja out, you three better work on defending Tazuna. You get me?"

The three nodded and went off with Mr. Tazuna who was going to continue the bridge.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sasuke, Sakura and Gray escorted Tazuna while Kakashi followed along after reminding Tsunami to leave Naruto in his sleep. The blue sky smiled at them as the wind caused the _kunoichi_'s pink hair to billow gently, allowing the leaves to rustle beneath her skirt. Sakura immediately began patting it down until she saw the two other boys stand against the wind, causing her to gape in astonishment. The wind gently tossed Sasuke's black tresses around, making it shape his face and intensify the emotions on his face. Gray raked his fingers through his coffee blonde fringe while revealing his mystifying emerald eyes. Sakura immediately found herself at a loss at whom to ogle: the perpetually enigmatic, cold and aloof Uchiha Sasuke or the quiet, dangerous and mischievous Hyuuga Gray.

_Kyaaah, __they__'__re __both __so __hot!_

Kakashi gently tapped the back of Sakura's head, giving her an all-knowing look. "We have to keep moving, Sakura. We can't keep Tazuna-_san_ waiting."

Blushing abashedly, Sakura quickened her pace behind the two boys as an overwhelming silence wedged itself in between the three of them. She warily glanced at Gray who averted his gaze from both of theirs, narrowing his eyes at the rippling waves in the streams and rivers. Sasuke on the other hand seemed completely oblivious as he shoved his hands into his pockets, absentmindedly observing the birds flying around them.

As Tazuna began his work, the four ninjas sat quietly on the edges of the bridge with Sakura sitting in between the two boys. Gray remained silent, playing around with a small ripple of water while Sasuke uneasily shifted in his seat. However, the temperature slowly began to drop as mist began to appear. The workers stood around completely horrified as they began dropping their things, scampering away in fear. Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura and Gray immediately formed a defensive circle around Tazuna, waiting for the next strike.

"It's the mist technique again," Sakura shivered as she tightly gripped her _kunai_.

Kakashi nodded stiffly, hearing a menacing sneer amongst the mist. "It looks like you're still alive, Zabuza."

"You know it will take more than a couple of needles to kill me," Zabuza sneered as a couple of clones surrounded the _Konohagakure_ ninja, noticing Sasuke's hand shivering. "My, my, it seems one of your underlings are shivering out of fear."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke plastered a huge smirk on his face. "Oh, I'm not shivering out of terror..."

Zabuza stared quizzically at the black haired Uchiha boy for a moment.

"I'm shivering because I'm happy," Sasuke, without hesitation, pounced and slashed the clones apart.

Kakashi chuckled lowly, smiling in approval. "Go get them, Sasuke."

As the clones returned to water puddles, Zabuza retreated while the chasing ninja they met reappeared in front of them. "It seems like you have a strong rival, Haku."

The chasing ninja nodded slowly, watching in agreement. "Even though the clones had at least 1/10 of your original _chakra_, it's amazing how he was able to tell that they were clones."

Kakashi straightened his back a little, relaxing as to see he now had the element of surprise. "For starters, what makes you think I would have been confident enough to take on this mission if I believed my pupils were not yet ready for this? Uchiha Sasuke is the champion of _Konohagakure_, Haruno Sakura on the other hand is one of the smartest _kunoichi_ and Hyuuga Gray," –he glanced to his side only to find the coffee blonde male completely missing. "Alright, where did he go?"

A dreadful silence descended upon him until Haku got himself whipped forward by a huge water blast. He tumbled forward until ice froze him a certain position, revealing the coffee blonde ninja in the air.

"Rule number one: _Yudan __sezu __ni __ikou_," Gray narrowed his emerald green eyes at Haku as he his leg came down for a bone shattering strike from the air.

Haku shattered the ice with one kick while lashing out with a barrage of needles which Gray uncaringly took until he crumbled into nothing but ice shards. The chasing ninja stared in astonishment for a moment until he found Gray behind him with his fingers pressing firmly on a few pressure points.

"You thought you were scary," Gray smirked deviously, changing his emerald green eyes into the white _Byakuggan_. "The real terror is just beginning..."

With a few blasts, Haku tumbled forward while Zabuza came up behind him with his huge _zonbatou_ ready to decapitate him. Gray immediately slid beneath him and touched his blade, causing it to break in two. Using the shock to his advantage, Sasuke launched himself forward and clashed with Haku. The younger ninja immediately sprinted away as Sasuke swung his _kunai_ at him. Kakashi sighed at himself, wondering what possessed Gray to take the initiative. However, the coffee blonde boy showed no interest whatsoever in following Kakashi's signal. Zabuza threw a punch which Gray ducked and shoved Zabuza back. Haku on the other hand remained completely occupied with Sasuke.

"I'm impressed by your speed," Haku kindly acknowledged before performing a single handed seal, maintaining his block over Sasuke. "However, I still have an advantage over you."

The black haired boy's eyes widened with horror as Haku started performing the seals. "Your friend may have sealed off most of my _chakra_ but not enough to stop this."

"_Hijutsu; __Sensatsu __Suisho _[Secret Art; Thousand Killing Ice Crystals]," Haku surrounded Sasuke with flying ice needles until something grabbed Sasuke with the boy inflicting a kick on Haku and creating a distance between them.

Gray and Sasuke tumbled back onto one side as the Hyuuga ninja immediately recovered, shrugging nonchalantly. "I didn't know that he still had enough _chakra_."

"The hell is wrong with you, jumping in like that," Sasuke stared at him incredulously. "You could've gotten yourself killed."

Gray rolled his eyes sarcastically, drawing out a _kunai_. "I was watching the flow of their _chakra_ and if we just stood there while Kakashi-_san_ was explaining, Tazuna-_san_ would have been dead in an instant."

Zabuza snickered lightly, propping his sword onto his shoulder. "Fast anticipating for a brat so you're the Hyuuga Kakashi was talking about. To be honest, you don't look a thing like them."

Gray shrugged uncaringly with a slight snort, launching himself at Haku. "Hn, not that it ever mattered to me anyway."

Tazuna stared in awe at Kakashi, hearing the clashes of steel. "The kid has killer instinct, where did he learn that?"

"I never taught him that but I do remember Takagi telling me something," Kakashi bit his lower lip, recalling the time before he left.

_Flashback_

Kakashi walked towards Takagi's apartment, ringing the doorbell. "Hmm, he should be home by now. Unless..."

However, the silver haired _Jounin_ found himself greeted by a very cranky Mimi who held a brush in one hand and one left foot painted with blue nails. "The hell do you want?"

Despite being slightly taken aback by the snarl, Kakashi peeked a bit inside. "Is Takagi home?"

"Why," Mimi raised an eyebrow, glancing at Takagi who had just come out of the bathroom. "Oh, he's out of the shower now."

Kakashi waved to a newly bathed Takagi, pointing at an annoyed Mimi. "Hey, do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?"

Takagi chuckled lightly, motioning to Mimi. "It's alright, let him in."

Mimi begrudgingly wrenched the door open, snapping the chain in two before stalking away. Kakashi shuddered a bit as the girl resumed to her business of painting her toe nails.

"Can I get you anything," Takagi opened the fridge, checking the contents. "That is if you're vegetarian or an extreme health buff."

Kakashi shook his head, smiling and waving dismissively. "No, it's alright. I have to be leaving soon anyway."

Takagi sighed before folding his legs and sitting in front of Kakashi. "So, how's Gray doing?"

"He's been doing fine," Kakashi chuckled lightly, folding his arms. "Although, there are some pressing matters that I'd like to discuss. Takagi, if he is commanded to take a life – will he do it?"

A dead silence overwhelmed them until Mimi snorted. "No way, Gray has a good heart. Mischievous yes but a killer, that's my job."

Takagi nodded firmly. "If there's anything, Gray is very cunning and destructive with his tricks. That alone may shock the opponent but when it comes to taking lives, Gray doesn't have that capacity. He may sometimes go too far with the tricks to the point it hurts people but when it comes to really robbing them of their lives, Gray will literally freeze in his tracks."

"That's why his nickname in the team isn't _Blondie_ or any insulting name," Mimi scoffed darkly, smirking at the title bestowed on him. "We each have a nickname, mine being "Firestarter", Taichi's being "Komodo Dragon", Manyama being the "Panzer" and Izumi being the "Flower Girl". Izumi's sounds so pathetic though. But, Gray's is the scariest of them all..."

_Flashback End_

"So there was a reason to fear him," Kakashi knitted his eyebrows together, watching Gray easily keep up with Haku. "He was known as the Trickster."

"But, that doesn't give any explanation as to why he attacked first," Sakura pointed out immediately, watching Gray spin around for a roundhouse kick.

Kakashi remained completely still with his _kunai_ still drawn out, watching out for any hostilities. However, Sasuke and Gray managed to push Haku back easily despite forcing out their teamwork and their attempt in synchronization. Kakashi signalled to Sakura to remain completely put before rushing out forward until Zabuza blocked him.

"We should let the youngsters duke this out, Kakashi," he sniggered while watching Gray somersault over Zabuza's apprentice easily before landing his trademark bicycle kick and sending him towards Sasuke.

The black haired Uchiha found himself astonished and admonished at the same time as Gray drew back while he went on offence. The coffee blonde easily kept up with the chasing ninja and showed no signs of fatigue despite the beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks. A disgusted snort escaped him as he slid around to disable Haku, bringing him down with a scissor kick. The Uchiha male found himself completely befuddled as to how a boy his age could fight at the same level as an ANBU. It absolutely made no sense as to watch Gray perform even more complex ice _Jutsu_, irking him even beyond his imagination. Sasuke unleashed a rolling fireball which forced the chasing ninja to leap away and throw a bunch of needles towards him. Gray immediately came to his defence as he quickly caught all the needles before throwing them back at its shooter. Haku leapt away from the two, watching them carefully.

"To be honest," Zabuza evilly sniggered, drawing his sword. "The most dangerous one you probably have is that Hyuuga kid and from the way he fights – he's not really your pupil now is he? He belongs to Jonouchi Ren right? It's evident in the boy's style – he follows his element's nature and combines it with trickery. That's more of a _Getsugakure_ style of combat."

"Who is Jonouchi Ren anyway," Kakashi clashed with his _kunai_ as the two started slinging blows towards one another, avoiding the sparks.

Zabuza snickered, swinging his blade over Kakashi in attempt to behead him. "The son of the 3rd _Getsukage_ or otherwise known as "Takagi Ashikara" now since he was exiled from _Getsugakure_ for being unable to kill his brother. The boy's eyes say a lot; he doesn't have a murderous bone in him. But he does have a devious side. So tell me, what were you going to say about him?"

Kakashi remained completely silent before a smirk formed on his lips, remembering Naruto. "I was going to say that Gray, although he isn't my pupil and with enough motivation, he has skills to make your apprentice look bad. As for the last, he is quite a bit on the dumb side but he likes taking his opponents on surprise."

Haku on the other hand chuckled lightly, surrounding himself in a cloak of blue _chakra_. "It seems I have been going too easy on you."

Sasuke and Gray froze in their tracks as the temperature around them dropped drastically, watching ice form into huge ice mirrors.

Haku completed his seals, watching them observantly. "_Hijutsu; __Makkyou __Hyoushou_." [Secret Art; Demonic Ice Mirrors]

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

On the other hand, Naruto found himself sleepily rubbing his eyes while Tsunami washed the dishes. "Um, Tsunami-_nee-san_, have you seen my teammates?"

Tsunami noticed a sleepy Naruto, laughing kindly. "Oh they just left a few minutes ago. They headed towards the bridge with Tazuna-_san_."

The hyperactive blonde ninja's eyes widened with surprise before scrunching up his nose in an annoyed snort. "Stupid Sasuke – I bet it was his idea to leave without me!"

Watching the boy leave and hearing the door slam behind her, Tsunami placed the dishes back on the rack. "Yunari, can you please get me the dishes?"

Yunari peeked out of his room, walking towards the dining table. "Sure mom."

He left and got the dishes and then, he heard something crash and break. Fear immediately seized the little boy as Yunari dashed towards the kitchen. "Mommy, are you alright!"

The moment he came out, he found two huge thugs holding razor edged blades against Tsunami's neck with an evil grin. "Ooh, I didn't know there was a little brat here."

The other thug sheathed his sword before pursuing him. "Yeah! Let's grab him!"

Tsunami tried to hit them but ended up in vain and both of them were tied up. Yunari and his mother were thrown outside onto the pier and were cornered to the very edge. The two thugs arrogantly advanced towards them while brandishing their blades at their faces.

"Prepare to die," one of the thugs raised his sword over his head, bringing it down for a clean cleave.

However, the only thing they saw was Yunari's hat floating in the wind with a slight slice.

Cowering and covering his eyes in fear, Yunari whimpered slightly before opening his eyes and finding the blonde ninja holding him and his mom. "Naruto-nii-san!"

Naruto chuckled confidently, giving him a thumb up. "The heroes always come in last."

He grinned and revealed his goofy grin and Yunari did the same. The thugs, completely terrified, staggered back as Naruto faced them with an angry gaze. However, their courage immediately returned as they charged towards Naruto with their huge swords.

Naruto cockily responded with a crack of his knuckles. "Alright, you morons! Let's see what you've got!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Alright, that's chapter 8! Please don't forget to review! Thanks~!**


	9. Storming Icicles

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 9 – Storming Icicles

Sasuke found himself staggering back with the flying ice needles while Gray managed to block a kick Haku lashed at him before creating a distance between him and Sasuke. Ice mirrors suddenly began to enclose around the male black haired Uchiha, forcing Sasuke to attempt in tracking down Haku's movement. The blue robed chasing ninja brought out some needles as he zipped around Sasuke, throwing the boy back against the mirrors.

"To me, your speed is nothing," Haku brandished his needle, steeling his battle stance for a sprint. "To my eyes, you're not even moving..."

Sasuke scrunched his nose in annoyance, pulling out his _kunai_ and baiting Haku. "Really – I'd like to see you prove that!"

Gray meanwhile found himself completely astounded as he felt the tracing of the mirrors. The coffee blonde male frowned slightly at their predicament as he heard Sasuke struggle against Haku with needles zipping to and fro to turn the male Uchiha into a human corkboard, meditating deeply to feel the sound waves within the ice. Lacing his hands with _chakra_, Gray immediately unleashed a fast flurry of punches as it landed against the back of the mirror until it sucked him up and threw him out inside the dome.

"Gray-_kun_, Sasuke-_kun_," Sakura gasped in horror, clutching her _kunai_ tightly to her chest.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly at Zabuza as the masked man grinned darkly. "Ah yes, Haku's bloodline ability – but doesn't the blonde brat also have that power?"

_Gray hasn't developed it that far yet if that's what he's asking._

Kakashi started off to the other end of the bridge where Sasuke and Gray remained completely occupied. However, his eyes immediately swivelled back to Zabuza as the former Mist ninja swung his _zonbatou_ towards Tazuna with only Sakura as a defensive measure. Launching himself towards him, Kakashi bravely took the slash while slightly wincing from the agonizing pain that shot through his shoulder. Sakura froze at the sight of splattering blood against her face, shivering slightly from the murderous intent.

"It's alright, I have this one," Kakashi spun around for a fast spinning kick, throwing back Zabuza as he blocked it off with the flat end of the blade.

Zabuza sniggered while jumping away, watching Kakashi's movements carefully while tracing the blood off his sword. "My, my, how careless of you, Kakashi. I didn't know you'd be that soft."

Kakashi snorted in annoyance, brandishing his own _kunai_ in a low whisper. "Trust me; I'm not always that soft."

Zabuza snickered as he charged towards Kakashi once again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Naruto on the other hand a huge cocky grin engraved on his face as he pulled out two _shuriken_ and threw it at the swordsmen charging at him. They easily drew their swords and deflected it without losing any speed. The blonde ninja smirked as the swordsmen came in with their blades raised high above their heads.

"Nice try, brat," the bulkier man swung his sword down to which Naruto lazily stepped out of the way before kicking the other guy.

The swordsman Naruto dodged, clucking his tongue in annoyance, skidded across the port bridge before launching himself once again at Naruto. The blonde ninja easily evaded the shot before pointing cockily behind them.

"Turn around!"

The moment the two swordsmen spun around, two Naruto clones' fists collided with their faces as they stumbled forward unconscious. With a breath of relief, Yunari shakily stood up while slinging his mom's arm over his shoulder. His big black eyes centred themselves on Naruto who stood triumphantly over the two while recalling the wild attacks inflicted whereas Naruto escaped without a scratch. The tension of the atmosphere slowly lightened up as Naruto faced him with a cheery grin.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Yunari felt tears stinging his eyes and relief bubbling out of his throat in pure gibberish as he stood in front of Naruto. A few sobs escaped him until he felt a hand drop heavily onto his head, causing him to look up to the blonde _Konohagakure_ ninja. Naruto ruffled his hair a bit before grabbing his floating hat and placing it back affectionately on his head.

"Heroes may come last but you know – they always get the job done," Naruto gave him thumbs up with a triumphant smirk, glancing at the sky with a soaring raven. "Oh boy, something's going on! I better go! By the way, the next time I see you – you better not be crying, Yunari!"

As the blonde ninja darted away, Yunari clenched his hands into fists before shouting at the air. "I so wasn't crying, you _baka_!"

Naruto on the other hand immediately started springing through the village. His spine tingled with fear as people suddenly started slamming their windows shut. The air thickened considerably as the sky slowly became a much greyer colour, causing Naruto to speed up his running. The blonde ninja watched the village suddenly become isolated as he finally reached the bridge. A huge mischievous grin appeared on his face as he held a smoke bomb in his hand, eagerly pondering on how to enter the battle.

While Naruto was busy making his entrance, Sasuke and Gray found themselves completely cornered.

The black haired male Uchiha blocked the flying needles despite his body screaming in agony. Gray unleashed torrents of water as the needles harmlessly clattered onto the ground although more started approaching him from behind. Swirling around the waves of water, Gray absorbed the impact of the needles before flinging it back with the water slicer. Sasuke, ignoring the profusely dropping beads of sweat, blocked more needles until one decided to shoot through his leg.

"Damn," Sasuke staggered back haphazardly, watching more needles fly towards him until Gray caught all of them in between his fingers. "How the hell did you...?"

Gray struggled with his _Byakuggan_ turned on; veins slowly began to create impressions at his temple as he started following Haku's movement. The coffee blonde male slowed his breathing as the enemy's _chakra_ became more defined in his eyes. Haku slipped through mirror to mirror as Gray increased his speed and started following it, forming an ice javelin in his hand.

_There!_

Seeing a slight halt, Gray pitched the javelin with all his might as it stabbed through Haku's _hakama_. However, the Chasing Ninja immediately swerved around before unleashing another barrage of needles which the Hyuuga ninja found himself unable to parry on time. Needles slashed through his jacket and Sasuke managed to squeeze in a fireball despite being shot at. The fireball crashed against the mirror but as the smoke cleared, there was not even a single crack.

"My mirrors are reinforced with my _chakra_," Haku frowned slightly, watching the two boys stand back to back of each other. "You cannot shatter it no matter how hard you try."

"Tsk, got any plans Hyuuga? You're the one with the same bloodline," Sasuke snorted while bringing up his _kunai_. "Can't you like manipulate it or something?"

"That's the thing," Gray narrowed his eyes in annoyance, watching the flow of _chakra_ within the mirrors. "I can't just smash the mirrors pointlessly. It's not going to make much sense if I do. Each of the flows has a different pattern. One mistake and something may go wrong like I don't know – getting us both killed?"

Haku chuckled inwardly, watching Gray's _Byakkugan_ force itself to watch more closely. He wondered how a fellow clan member managed to survive as he remembered that nobody us survived the massacre in _Kirigakure_. The blood stains on the wall were imprinted freshly into his mind and the days after that remained completely bleak until he met Zabuza. However, it still didn't answer the question how he could survive with two bloodlines. To many villages, that was an omen and would kill the child on the spot. How did _Konohagakure_ accept him so easily? If only he and his mother lived there, perhaps there would be no such massacre.

On the other hand, Kakashi squinted a little to get a better view in the fog before leaning a little closer and maintaining his formation near Tazuna. Slight ripples in the water echoed in his ears, causing him to slightly twitch in nervousness. His body froze when his eyes directed themselves towards the huge ice dome. Gray and Sasuke found themselves against an opponent way beyond their calibre. Although they were talented, could they do it? Was there a big possibility of survival?

"Perhaps not, Kakashi," a malevolent voice rebuked his thoughts as the sword came flying down with Kakashi managing to catch it in his hands.

While in the struggle, Kakashi swung his leg over to kick Zabuza away until huge puff of smoke appeared in front of them. Sakura felt her heart pounding hard against her chest, pondering whether or not it could be reinforcement for them or him. The whole world began to spin as her head began to throb angrily at the suspense. Silence overwhelmed everyone until the blonde ninja appeared with a fox-like grin.

"Uzumaki Naruto, reporting for duty!"

Sakura twitched ever so slightly as Kakashi hung his head with embarrassment before scolding the hyperactive blonde ninja.

"Naruto," his voice slowly rising as he shook his head in disgrace. "Did you know that ninjas are supposed to HIDE and not randomly introduce themselves for an ambush!"

Naruto flinched slightly, staggering back a little. "Um, s-sorry, _sensei_!"

Zabuza chuckled darkly, placing more weight on his sword. "Humph, it's too late to fix that now – boy!"

Being forced down to one knee, Kakashi immediately directed Naruto. "Naruto, go help Sasuke and Gray! Find a way how to break the ice dome!"

Naruto grinned determinedly, running towards it in full-speed. "You got it!"

Tazuna on the other hand found Sakura restraining herself to run off and help Sasuke until he nodded. "Go."

Without any hesitation, the pink haired _kunoichi_ darted towards the dome with Naruto while drawing out a _kunai_. Immediately seeing an opening, she seized an opportunity as the _kunai_ flew towards Sasuke.

"Sasuke-_kun_, catch," Sakura hurled it towards him until her eyes stared back in horror. "No!"

Haku immediately stuck out his hand and effortlessly caught the _kunai_. "Nice try though, I'll have to commend you for that."

Sakura found herself staring helplessly as Haku unleashed another barrage towards Sasuke and Gray. Unlike Gray, the black haired Uchiha had no defensive abilities whatsoever. Gray whirled around for a bigger _Hakkesho_Kaiten as some of the needles flew towards the icy mirrors. However, Naruto started examining the whole thing and even began punching it a few times. Glancing at the huge ice dome, Naruto began looking all around it until he found Sasuke and Gray working back to back.

"Hey, are you guys alright in there?"

Upon hearing Naruto's voice, Sasuke swivelled his head towards one of the openings. "Naruto, find a way how to break the _Jutsu_ from outside! It's almost impossible to break it from the inside!"

However, Naruto appeared right in front of Sasuke with a huge grin causing the black haired ninja to twitch at him. Gray mentally slapped himself while staring disbelievingly at Naruto, wondering how he became a ninja. With common sense, he would be trying to find a way how to pull Haku out of the mirror and asking how he moves. But Naruto simply decided to walk in to the death trap along with them. Gray face palmed while lacing his hands with _chakra_.

"I'm sorry Uchiha-_san_," Gray smirked darkly while grabbing the fast paced needles, throwing some back at Haku. "I don't know the pressure point to make Naruto any smarter."

Sasuke rolled his eyes sarcastically, groaning in annoyance. "Does Taichi do this?"

"No, he has better common sense," Gray immediately grabbed Naruto, narrowly dodging the needles that were flying at the both of them. "Hold on, _Hyouro__no__Jutsu_!" [Ice Prison Technique]

Pillars of ice surrounded them as the needles started deflecting harmlessly off the ice. Gray winced at the wounds he received before taking off his scarf and winding it around his wounded main artery. He slumped against the ice while slightly coughing, seeing his breath form white smoke. Sasuke traced the lining of the ice, pulling out a few needles from his leg.

"How long will this thing hold up," Sasuke glanced at Gray who temporarily mended Naruto's and his wounds.

"I don't know," Gray admitted mildly, hearing the loud clashes from the needles. "It depends on the power. If he suddenly explodes a huge attack on us then, this thing won't hold. My _chakra_ can only hold on for so long. It will probably last for around three hours, more or less."

Sasuke seated himself on the ground, formulating a plan. "It's more than enough to come up with an idea."

"What if I draw his attention with the _Kage__Bunshin_," Naruto popped up with an idea which Sasuke brushed off.

"That's wasting your _chakra_, you idiot."

Gray's expression brightened up with realization. "Coming from Naruto, that's not a bad idea. Considering he's a walking vat of _chakra_ by himself, he can create that diversion while we try to track down Haku's movement. If there's one thing I don't believe, it's that his movement is that fast. I'm going to call that bluff. I can predict his movement and Sasuke, considering you have fire type _Jutsu_, you can bring him down. It's a long shot but it's definitely something that may have a better chance than us sitting here like ducks."

Sasuke sniggered while raising his eyebrow. "And if this doesn't work?"

"Then, we're screwed," Gray pulled out a torrent of water, freezing it into daggers. "Leave the defence to me. You just concentrate in bringing down Haku."

With a determined nod, Sasuke and Naruto stood up while Gray lifted his hand to bring down the prison. "Ready?"

The moment the prison crashed down, Naruto summoned his clones that leapt into the air to destroy the mirrors. With little effort, Haku leapt out of the mirror and crushed the clones until he stared in horror at the flying fireball. He narrowly dodged it as he fired a ray of needles towards Sasuke which Gray easily deflected with a wave of water.

"Wait a minute, can't you just dispel his _Jutsu_ since you both come from the same clan," Sasuke raised his eyebrow at his coffee blonde companion.

"It doesn't work that way," Gray leapt out of the way, creating another frozen wall. "In my clan, there are no definite techniques. If I remember right, we are known for our innovation and water and ice are the most flexible elements. They would have two forms: stationary or dynamic. I can create both creatures and objects. However, if it comes to dispelling another ninja's _Jutsu_ who is from the same clan as I am – then, it's like you're asking Naruto to give up his dream to become _Hokage._"

Sasuke leapt back as a few needles pierced the ground as Haku suddenly appeared behind him. Whirling around for a kick, Haku sent Sasuke sprawling onto the ground until Gray powered his movement with _chakra_ to jump forward and crack the chasing ninja's mask slightly. Clenching his hand into a fist, Sasuke gnashed his teeth together as Gray managed to at least lay a hit.

_Why, why can't I hit him?_

Sasuke threw a _kunai_ angrily at the mirror only to have it deflect back at him. The Uchiha jumped out of the way as he felt his blood boiling, pounding his fist against the ground. His vision soon became pitch-black with darkness as his brother's image stood before him the night his family lay murdered before him. His brother's deep red eyes glared holes into his soul as he stared back at the seven year old him.

_You're weak. You should run, cling to the little life you have left!_

"Over my dead body," Sasuke howled at the image of his brother, feeling his anger rush through his blood as his eyes became crimson red. "Defeating you is the only reason for my existence!"

Sasuke followed Haku's movement as the needles flew at him, deflecting it with insane speed. Gray blinked several times in disbelief until a small smirk appeared on his face.

"Looks like someone finally woke up to his _Sharingan_," Gray chuckled darkly, remembering the time Mimi woke up to her _Mangenkyou_ _Sharingan_. "Normally, it would take much longer but Mimi and Itachi were able to achieve it at a young age. For the Uchiha, many would call this a wee bit late."

As Haku started running, Sasuke copied his exact movement as Gray found a new method. He watched Sasuke's running pattern carefully until he noticed a slight twitch in his left foot. Seeing that, Gray leapt up into the air while slamming his foot against the mirror Haku prepared to leap out. Much to his success, Gray found his foot making contact with the chasing ninja's abdomen. Haku tumbled back into the mirror as he began running once again. Gray whirled around a wave of ice before throwing it as a blade.

"_Hyouton;__Gyokourin,__" _Gray whirled around the ice to mould a huge ice ring blade before throwing it towards the mirror to slash at Haku. [Ice Element; Freezing Ring]

As Haku narrowly dodged the attack, he started unleashing needles at Naruto and Sasuke and effortlessly forced Gray back on defence. Naruto collapsed onto the ground as Sasuke managed to stay standing with Gray pinned down onto the ground with many needles. The coffee blonde found himself slammed against the wall as a huge needle barrage accompanied with a strong kick against the gut. Sasuke hissed darkly as he tried to maintain his focus.

"It seems that you're the only one standing," Haku sadly smiled at the black haired Uchiha ninja, glancing at Gray. "Your friend – we seem to be fellow clanmates. What's his name?"

"Hyuuga," he whispered fiercely, coughing out blood. "I'm sure you guys are. It shouldn't be so hard for you to find out."

Haku shook his head, brandishing the silver sliver in front of Sasuke. "He's lucky to have met good friends. I can tell you're not really his teammate but he has a good set of values. That's good that at least one of my clan survives. But for now, I need to get rid of you. So, I'm going to start," –he directed his aim at the fallen and unconscious Naruto, "with this one."

Sasuke's eyes widened with horror as his body instinctively jumped by itself as Haku fired an array of needles towards him. Fair enough, Naruto soon found a very wobbly Sasuke standing in front of him full of needles. His bright blue eyes widened in astonishment, managing to stand up.

"S-Sasuke," Naruto found himself staring back in disbelief before violently shouting at him. "You idiot, what did you do that for?"

Sasuke coughed out a blob of blood, weakly falling forward. "I don't know... My body just decided to move by itself..."

Naruto's eyes widened as he turned to find an unconscious Gray and a fallen Sasuke. His heart pounded wildly as his _chakra_ caused his blood to boil. From his normally mischievous blue eyes, they glittered with a bloody vermillion colour as his _chakra_ leaked immensely from his body and lashed against the mirrors. Without any effort, the red _chakra_ whips shattered the mirrors with astounding force and threw out Haku. The chasing ninja stared in horror as the image of the _Kyuubi_ appeared before him.

"This boy," he weakly mouthed in wonder as the _chakra_ forced him down to his knees. "Impossible..."

As the red _chakra_ lashed around, Gray shook away the daze before building up an Ice Prison around him and Sasuke to shield themselves from the wildly blasting _chakra_. Despite empowering with whatever _chakra_ he had, the ice shattered easily which forced the coffee blonde male to keep on reconstructing the ice wall endlessly. His eyes lightly drooped from the lack of energy as he desperately tried to maintain a wall of defence around him and the fallen Sasuke.

"This is crazy," Gray winced from the shattering ice, regenerating it again. "The more he goes on – I think he'll be the only one alive!"

From the other side, Kakashi remained completely motionless as the atmosphere suddenly became more ominous. It darkly whirled around and immediately caught Kakashi's attention.

"Looks like I'm out of time," Kakashi unfurled a scroll while tracing his blood on it, performing a set of techniques. "_Doton;__Tsuiga__no__Jutsu_!" [Earth Style: Tracking Fang Technique]

A small brown dog appeared right in front of Kakashi, saluting him. "Yes, sir?"

"_Pakkun_, go find Zabuza," Kakashi attempted to see through the fog, managing to see flashes of red light. "We have to finish this battle now."

_Pakkun_ instantly vanished as Kakashi waited within the mist, watching the flashes of red light stream across the grey skies. His heart seized in horror, imagining the worst to happen. The destruction formerly created by the _Kyuubi_flashed angrily in his mind as its roar echoed incessantly in his ears. He shook his head in defiance before focusing on the match before him. As far as he was concerned, Zabuza could be anywhere waiting for him to drop his guard. However, the cracking of the ground confirmed it as Kakashi relaxed his stance.

"It seems you're down and finished, Zabuza," Kakashi calmly walked to through the fog until he found a shadow of Zabuza being crushed by dogs that were chewing on him.

Zabuza struggled helplessly as he found the silver haired _Jounin_ forming seals and gathering bolts of _chakra_ into his hand. It chirped and crackled as bolts pelted against the cement floor. Zabuza stood helplessly in front of Kakashi as his _Sharingan_ Eye started wheeling around.

"This is," Kakashi pounced forward, boosting himself towards Zabuza. "_Raikiri_!" [Lightning Edge]

On the other side, the _Makkyou__Hyoushou_ lay in pieces as Naruto exhaled deeply while watching the fallen body slowly get up. His red eyes slowly reverted back to his usual bright blue ones as pieces of the mask fell onto the ground. As the figure slowly turned to face him, Naruto stared in horror as he remembered the person who woke him up from his training. However, his eyes remained completely lifeless as blood slowly trickled out of his mouth.

"Ah, it's you," Haku let out a hollow chuckle before staring back at Naruto. "You're looking well."

Naruto staggered back, slightly trembling in realization and astonishment. "Y-You're that guy..."

Haku smiled weakly, stumbling forward. "Yes, it's funny how Fate works – isn't it? We met in good terms yet we fight on such disgusting terms. You asked me back there what I was fighting for. At first, I was uncertain on how to respond but now I know. For me, it didn't matter on how I was used... but as long as that person's dream comes true. Then, I would be perfectly happy."

Naruto blinked disbelievingly several times as Haku glanced at the unconscious Gray.

"Your friend was truly fortunate to find family," Haku smiled bitterly, walking forward. "His attacks have intention to protect despite him being hesitant to kill. It truly makes it a wonderful feeling, to fight with a purpose. But, with the way my life became – that was impossible. My father killed my mother and I had to fight with dogs to survive. It was only then I was picked up by Zabuza. No matter what happened, I vowed to protect Zabuza even at the cost of my life. Zabuza gave me a second chance at life but now because I failed him, I no longer have any use to him."

Naruto shook his head vigorously with a defiant snort. "I am not killing you!"

Haku remained completely stoic, standing motionlessly before him. "I am now useless in his eyes. As a tool, a broken one does not have any purpose."

Naruto, clenching his fist, swallowed hard at the submissive Haku. His blue eyes narrowed darkly as he slowly drew out a _kunai_, doing his best at ignoring his trembling and doubtful body.

"Alright but don't say I didn't try to stop you," Naruto lunged towards Haku as the Chasing ninja closed his eyes for the death blow.

_At least, this is my repentance..._

Haku inhaled deeply before looking at the gray skies filled with mist, smiling sombrely. Hearing Naruto's running pace increase, the chasing ninja steeled himself for any impact that may knock him off his feet. However, something in his ears started to click until flashes of blue light appeared within the mirages of the mist. His eyes widened with horror as he caught Naruto's fist, glaring.]

"I'm sorry for the sudden change of events but I cannot die just yet," Haku immediately whirled around for a kick and sent Naruto sprawling unto the ground, darting towards the bright blue flashes of light.

Naruto, lying down crumpled on the ground, jumped back onto his feet. He blinked several times for a moment before running after him. Gray on the other hand staggered onto his feet until he found Sakura and Tazuna running towards him. He glanced to and fro whether or not he should follow Naruto but quietly lay Sasuke on the ground before sprinting after his friend.

However, Gray stopped in his tracks as he found a pool of blood reaching his sandals. He slowly raised his head in shock as Haku remained in front of Kakashi as the silver Jounin gripped the Chasing Ninja's heart. Time stopped all around him until he heard a loud horrifying scream echo in his ears.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 9! Please don't forget to review!**


	10. Rolling On

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 10 – Rolling On

Sakura clamped her hand over her mouth as she saw bloodied body before her. It was filled with needles and motionless as its jet black haired remained dirtied by the mix of blood, cement and water. The blue shirt with a bloodstained emblem of the Uchiha clan darkened into a navy blue as the pink haired _kunoichi_ fell to her knees while gripping the shirt of her fallen comrade. Tears immediately began trickling down her face as her emerald orbs widened with horror. She brushed away the black locks from Sasuke's face as more tears began streaming down.

"It's alright to cry you know," Tazuna placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder, glancing at the fallen body. "He fought pretty well, for an emo kid."

Sakura stifled her sobs, cleaning up her face as fast as she could. "But, there's a rule in the ninja tenet. Rule number 25: regardless of what you feel, all relationships must be kept professional. But - I can't help it... He... He... He was everything to me..."

"We are not marionettes," Tazuna sighed deeply to himself, glancing towards the bright flashing lights. "Emotions are what make us humans. Of course it's natural to cry!"

While Sakura continued to bawl her eyes out, she didn't notice that Sasuke began to wince from her weight.

"Sakura, you're so heavy," Sasuke managed to croak out, lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. "Please get off."

Hearing her beloved's voice, Sakura immediately snapped out of her tears before crashing against Sasuke and squeezing him tight. "Sasuke-_kun_, you're okay! You're alive! Oh my God, are you okay?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "Rhetorical question much?"

However, things didn't seem the same on the other side.

Zabuza immediately swung his _zonbatou_ towards Kakashi as the silver haired _Jounin_ sprinted away to shield Haku. The bloodied boy's body hung limply on his arm as the elder man lay him down on the ground. His eyes dulled considerably as the _Jounin_ hovered his hands over the boy's eyes, slowly closing them. Kakashi inhaled deeply before standing up to face Zabuza, lacing his hands with crackling electricity.

"What," Zabuza sneered darkly with a maniacal glare, brandishing the unwieldy sword. "Don't tell me you actually feel sorry for that thing?"

Kakashi pulled out his _kunai_, waiting for the next attack until he noticed frost crawling all over Zabuza's sword. "Wow, I didn't know you could put ice attribute."

He stared at him for a moment, completely bewildered until his arm started numbing. Zabuza immediately swung his blade as Naruto managed to punch the blade to break it into pieces. Gray on the other hand went for a sweeping kick as the former _Kirigakure_ ninja literally flipped over while Kakashi followed it up with a kick to the gut. Zabuza stumbled back as he released a few punches at Gray, sending the coffee male blonde flying towards Naruto as they crashed against one another.

"Sorry about that," Gray immediately rolled away from Naruto before placing his hands together. "_Hyouton; Tsumetainusousou_!" [Ice Element; Cold Burial]

Ice swarmed around Zabuza as he started noticing the ice piling by his feet. He kicked angrily, smashing the frozen stalagmites until his face met Gray's foot. Naruto on the other hand swung over a _Kage Bunshin_ as it transformed into a double bladed _shuriken_. Kakashi immediately followed up with a kick to which Zabuza immediately blocked it before bludgeoning Gray's abdomen with the blunt edge of his sword. The coffee blonde male slightly winced as he traced the wound but unleashed a stormy hail of icicles raining from the sky.

Zabuza immediately began to block it until he heard a mocking applause from a distance. Their fights suddenly stopped with a dead silence as a small figure started walking through the fog.

"Not bad for a rebel ninja," the voice sneered as Kato revealed himself from the mist, holding his cane. "It's no surprise that you would lose to those who are from the villages though. But, to think you would have a hard time against two kids – that was beyond pathetic, Momochi Zabuza."

Gray narrowed his eyes darkly at the small man. "I'm getting this is Kato of the Wave Country?"

"The one everyone holds a hatred for, yes," Kakashi slowly pulled out his _kunai_ as the man walked towards Haku's corpse.

Kato stomped on Haku's head, sniggering darkly. "At least this kid managed to break my arm!"

"How dare he," Gray prepared to lunge forward until Kakashi put his arm in front of him. "_Sensei_...!"

"Don't just jump in, he's not alone," Kakashi glanced to one side as swordsmen started appearing out of nowhere.

Their footsteps tapped against the solid stone as metal began clanking against one another. Soon, their dark maniacal sneers appeared from behind the mist as they brandished their swords. They swarmed in like rodents as their swords glinted the weak sunlight with a tinge of silver. The mist slowly dissipated as they closed in on the ninjas.

"Hiring veteran _samurai_ were cheaper and better too," Kato snorted in annoyance, glaring at a defeated Zabuza. "You were useless from the very beginning!"

_Samurai_ brandished their blades with a fiendish grin as Naruto staggered back a bit. Gray began conjuring up a sword of his own until Zabuza glanced at Naruto.

"Give me the _kunai_."

Naruto blinked several times, staring incredulously at the half-masked ninja. "What?"

"I've already lost here," Zabuza admitted darkly, glancing at the army. "But at least, I will not go down without a fight."

Naruto shakily handed Zabuza his _kunai_ as the older man placed it in his mouth before rushing forward. The _samurai_ stumbled back as he began ruthlessly cutting them down, ignoring the blood that splattered on his face. Spears sailed into the air as they impaled through Zabuza, causing Naruto to pale in horror.

"Kakashi-_sensei_, aren't we going to help him," Naruto blinked several times, pointing at the incredulous situation. "He's going to get killed!"

Kakashi shook his head, watching the _samurai_ and spearmen fall one after the other. "This is his fight now. He's trying to redeem his pride."

Zabuza rushed on forward while feeling the stinging pain from the weapons that impaled and slashed him. The mist slowly faded as he lost little speed before ramming the _kunai_ straight through Kato. The little man coughed out a blob of blood before issuing his orders.

"Get rid of them!"

Kakashi bit his lower lip, watching Naruto face a whole horde of _samurai_. As ninjas, the _samurai_ became very wary of them and only hired them for dire need. Not many of them lived on beneficial terms or let alone mutual terms. Some _samurai_ came running towards them with their swords raised as Kakashi managed to create a distance between them. However, one came up behind until his arm suddenly came off much to the attacker's horror. Kakashi blinked several times until he found Gray holding the man's sword arm.

"I believe this is yours," the coffee blonde Hyuuga hybrid ninja raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smirk, freezing it completely before reducing it into shards.

The _samurai_ staggered back as he placed pressure on his supposedly bleeding arm, running away in horror.

Kakashi blinked several times as Gray nonchalantly shrugged, slapping away the mist. "_Kyouka Suigetsu..._ Probably one of the most ancient illusion tricks in the book." [Mirror Flower Water Moon]

The silver haired _Jounin_ exhaled in relief, shaking his head dejectedly. "No wonder everyone's afraid of you. You're mischievous and crazy."

"Mischievousness gives way to necessity as that paves way to innovation," Gray smirked deviously, whirling around some snow and water. "It works better than killing."

Kakashi pondered for a moment, watching Gray easily outsmart his opponents. His lips curved up into a small smile, wondering whether or not Takagi taught him to make his mischievousness this vicious. Then again, Gray proved to be the more innovative one compared to his companions. Recalling the way they battled, he realized each of them embodied the several things of a ninja. If one could not master all, one could master each. He mentally slapped himself in realization; why couldn't he think of that? They had specializations and the reason why Takagi sent Gray with him is not only is he the most reliable of the five but also the one who devised the strategies. Although he did not verbally communicate with the others, his actions signalled them to bring on the attack.

"He has a broad horizon," Kakashi mused deeply to himself, watching Gray easily disable another _samurai_ with Naruto's help. "He's played on all sorts of fields if I'm guessing right. Among all of them, he's probably the one people don't want to make an enemy out of the most."

The crowd closed in on them, forcing Kakashi, Gray and Naruto to stand back to back against one another. Their grins widened while their blades reflected Zabuza's blood coating the silver line. Gray brandished his _kunai_ while whirling around a whip of water with his left hand. Naruto swallowed hard as Kakashi prepared to unleash a huge spark of electricity. As the crowd closed in even further, a rock landed on one of their heads. Naruto blinked for a few moments until he found another crowd behind the _samurai_ warriors.

"Yunari," Naruto's expression beamed.

The little boy scratched his head, grinning impishly. "Sorry about that but, it's tradition that the heroes are the ones who arrive the latest!"

The _samurai_ stared at the amount of the villages behind them, realizing how overwhelmed they were. Kakashi sighed before placing his hands together and summoning a bunch of clones along with Naruto. Gray whipped up a huge whirlpool of water before freezing it into a roaring horse chariot.

"_Hyouton; Gyoukoheisha_," Gray snickered darkly as the horses reared on each of their hind legs. [Ice Style; Frozen War Chariot]

"So you actually have no definite _Jutsu_," Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Gray who shrugged nonchalantly.

"I just create whatever forms up in my imagination," Gray performed a set of seals, inhaling deeply. "_Rengeki: Hyouton; Tsubame Arashii_." [Follow Up: Ice Style; Frozen Swallow Storm]

As the animated creatures raged forward, the _samurai_ quickly began to flee as some even jumped off the bridge. The villagers hurled stones and pitchforks as Gray, Naruto and Kakashi reinforced the attack. The _samurai_ fled as the villages cheered triumphantly of regaining control of the Wave Country. Sakura hauled Sasuke towards the team as Naruto gave Gray a high five. The skies slowly cleared with a bright sun shining down on them until Kakashi found a body slightly twitching. To his surprise, Zabuza climbed his way up after falling from the bridge despite having all the blades in his back. Terrified, the people put up their pitchforks once again until Kakashi stood in front of them with a momentary shake of his head. As the pitchforks lowered, Zabuza staggered towards them until he began searching around.

"Where's Haku?"

Gray began searching around until he found the boy's body lying next to the edge of the bridge. "Zabuza-_san_..."

"Do me a favour, get me there."

As Zabuza crashed on the ground, Kakashi reluctantly brought him over next to Haku's body. From the bright sunlight, the snow suddenly started raining down on them with the bright blue skies slowly returning back into a sad grey. Everyone slowly became silent as the villagers walked away from the fallen ninjas. Snow trickled down Haku's face as they fell to the ground as small little tear drops. Zabuza lightly traced his finger on his apprentice's face, inhaling his final breath.

"It's sad how some people get lost on their path and have no one to guide them to it," Kakashi hung his head sadly, glancing at all the splatters of blood on the floor.

Sasuke remained silent while leaning against Sakura whereas Naruto started sniffling and sobbing. Tazuna froze himself to the ground while hanging his head in remorse, wondering how people can die so young. Haku died with a ghostly smile on his face as Zabuza submitted a few moments later, viewing his apprentice's face for one last time. Gray maintained his stoic face but his eyes reflected a hint of sadness in them as he glanced at his hand, recalling the words of the ninja.

_I'm glad that one of my clanmates gets to survive._

He narrowed his eyes for a moment, pondering on his mother's identity long ago. During the time they spent in the Wave Country, he had never seen any of his mother's ninja gear although pictures of her teammates and family posted itself on the wall. His father paid no attention to the clan that he had abandoned either and would simply play around with him, even teach him a few of the Hyuuga clan techniques secretly. Despite being a member only of the branch house, Gray recalled some of the scrolls being labelled only for the Main House.

"If only he too was that lucky," Gray made the sign of the cross, bowing deeply. "I truly am devilishly fortunate to have found my way home."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next day, Kakashi hauled up his things while watching his apprentices pack up as well. Sakura re-bandaged some of Sasuke's wounds whereas Naruto newly came out of the shower with Gray sitting by the window sill with his duffel bag dutifully sitting next to him. The silent tension tightened in the room as Sakura fixed some of the beddings and Sasuke flipped around his _kunai_.

"Argh, the silence hurts," Naruto wailed before yanking his face down, shaking his head in terror. "It's too quiet!"

Sakura immediately stood up, grabbing Naruto by the shoulders and shaking him violently. "Geez Naruto, did you just have to holler and make a mess of things?"

As the two start violently throwing a tantrum at one another, Sasuke silently walked to Gray before lightly dropping his hand onto the male coffee blonde's shoulder.

"You were great."

Puzzled and completely bewildered, Gray blinked several times at Sasuke before resuming his normal indifferent expression. "Like I always say, I'm just one devilishly fortunate bastard."

"Devilishly fortunate my ass," Sasuke rolled his eyes at the Hyuuga ninja sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at Gray. "What the hell are you talking about? I completely found myself full of holes and bandages why you just have a few minor scratches and whatsoever. Not only that, you could see the needles and grab whichever you want and block a whole lot."

"I have a hole in my gut accompanied with a few bruises and a permanent injury to my left knee if that makes you feel any better," Gray smirked darkly, lifting up his shirt to reveal the lower portion of his abdomen with a bandage. "Plus, my _chakra_'s wasted. The only reason why I'm alive is because I didn't pose that big of a threat."

"That's where you're wrong."

The two turned to face Kakashi as he checked through all of his things. "Takagi trained you well. Zabuza mentioned to me that it was obvious that you weren't my student; that you were taught by someone with higher prowess. Although, he did sound a bit insulting on my part. Secondly, he went after you more than he did Naruto. You broke his sword twice, Gray. That's worth something. I know it's good to have a sense of humility but not to the point of completely disregarding your own talent. Third reason; he mentioned that you and Sasuke were both a rival to Haku. Haku is a chasing ninja; an ANBU at that. But when you measure the duration of the fight in between you three, you unleashed the highest amount of damage. Although Sasuke did a pretty good job, you fought both of them. In battle, not many people can easily make split-second decisions like that."

Gray nodded stiffly, shrugging nonchalantly. "It's no big deal really. Like I've reiterated so many times in the past, I'm just devilishly lucky."

Kakashi shook his head disdainfully at the coffee blonde, surveying the room for any leftovers. "The more you belittle yourself, the more you lose your power. It's sad to see all that talent go to waste."

Gray hung his head quietly as they went out to bid goodbye to Tazuna. The progress pertaining to the construction of the bridge flowed smoothly as sun beamed down on them. Looking back at the bridge, the coffee blonde male ninja cast his emerald gaze towards the mansion at the edge of the town. Despite the tears threatening to spill out of his eyes, Gray immediately shook them away before walking towards the team.

"You've done a lot for this country," Tazuna bowed graciously to the five of them. "The money has been sent to _Konohagakure_. It should be there as soon as you get back."

Naruto grinned while ruffling Yunari's hair. "You be good now alright?"

As the team bid their goodbyes and walked towards _Konohagakure_, Tazuna cast a satisfied smile towards their vanishing figures and the long bridge.

"From this day on, this bridge shall be known as the Great Naruto Bridge."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Getting back became relatively uneventful but explaining what happened and how things went to Takagi nearly had Mimi flying off to go castrate Sasuke while Izumi struggled to hold the Uchiha _kunoichi_ back from harming her beloved _Sasuke-sama_. Mimi started swirling flames in her mouth out of frustration before unleashing a huge fireball at the stone figure of Sasuke that Taichi conveniently created. Izumi whipped around her rose whip as aconites started flying along with her _kunai_. Manyama easily deflected them all with a whirling scroll, surrounding her with a huge array of weapons.

"Did anyone else see the house," Takagi folded his arms, looking sternly into the younger boy's eyes.

"They all saw the house and sir, this is the last time I ever want to work with Sasuke," Gray averted his eyes away from the stern expression of his instructor. "He's talented but his attitude sucks."

Takagi sighed dejectedly, ruffling Gray's hair. "You'll meet a lot of people like that when you're older, Gray. I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

As the two began talking, an eagle suddenly started hovering around them. Takagi blinked several times, looking at his watch for a moment. He shook his head in denial until the eagle continued to make its round around him. The team continued to ignore the crying eagle as it circled around them with preying eyes. With an annoyed sigh, Takagi whistled for the whole team to gather round.

"Alright, I'll be going to the _Hokage_'s office for awhile," Takagi scratched the back of his head sheepishly, glancing at the others. "Gray, you may want to put a leash on Mimi in case she runs off to kill Sasuke. Manyama, continue your training and help sedate Mimi will you? Taichi, Izumi, I don't want any cat fights between you two."

"When has that never happened," Gray chuckled deviously, using one hand to create a frozen trail to lock onto a Mimi trying to escape.

"Hey!"

Takagi raised an eyebrow with a light chuckle, folding his arms in approval. "I see you picked up something new while you were away."

"Well, it's basic stuff – I happened to bump into someone who was originally from my mother's clan," Gray shrugged nonchalantly, smirking devilishly. "Then again, I think Sasuke needs more than just a beating from Mimi. He needs corrective brain surgery."

Taichi chortled before pulling out a stone fist from behind his back. "That can be arranged."

"Always thinking with your fists," Gray shook his head disdainfully, shrugging nonchalantly. "Oh well, that's what usually happens."

Taichi snorted in annoyance, folding his arms. "Well, at least I don't just freeze people into popsicles, snow man."

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised you think that way – you have pebbles for brains," Gray smirked while folding his arms, raking his fingers through his coffee blonde hair.

Taichi grabbed Gray's shirt, glaring daggers. "Hey, at least my brain's not made out of snow that it melts out of my ears!"

Takagi sighed inwardly to himself before pinching the two boys' ear lobes, dragging them near each other. "Both of you – Gray, I know you're fond of being mischievous but you have a task at hand. Taichi, don't try to cause any property damage that I may need to pay up for, alright?"

Taichi and Gray nodded affirmatively as Takagi vanished from their line of sight. The team remained in complete silence as Izumi sighed before falling unto the ground, resting on her bottom. Manyama inhaled the fresh air before lying down on the grass as well. Mimi managed to cool her rage towards Sasuke as she lay down next to Manyama. Gray leaned against the tree for shade as Taichi splattered himself on the ground.

"Ah, perfect relaxation – provided by Mother Nature herself," Taichi inhaled deeply as the trees continued to sway, covering the sun with his hand. "So, who do you want to challenge today?"

Gray shrugged nonchalantly, playing with a few droplets of water in his hand before sprinkling some of the plants. "I don't know – it feels like a do-nothing day today..."

"Which reminds me," Mimi rolled over, kicking her legs back and forth. "How was your mission?"

Gray snickered deviously. "I wished there was something that allowed distant communication. I had half the mind to pay you for kicking Sasuke's ass but, Sakura's there so..."

"I don't give a damn," Mimi bared her teeth darkly at the thought of the pink haired _kunoichi_. "She's a bitch and I don't like her."

"You don't like anybody, Mimi," Izumi scoffed while tousling her long crimson tresses. "You're probably the most cynical one here."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Takagi arrived in the _Hokage's _Office with a dejected sigh as he opened the door lightly. In front of him, four other _Jounin_ sat near the _Hokage_ – one of them being Kakashi. Standing next to the _Hokage_, Iruka warily watched the _Jounin_ take their places near the old man. The _Sandaime _quietly tilted his hat over, checking if all were accounted for.

"I'm guessing you all know the reason as to why you're here," the old man passed a glance to all of them as they nodded stiffly. "Although it is quite early, I think it's time we give kids an exposure to reality. So, elect your eligible candidates. Gai, would you like to start?"

Gai nodded in approval, performing the single handed tiger seal. "From Team Gai, I elect Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji and Ten-ten."

Three names appeared on the scroll behind the _Hokage_ as the old man gestured to the man with a cigar. "Asuma, I believe it's your turn."

"From Team Asuma, I elect Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji," Asuma watched the name of his apprentices appear on the scroll. "Kurenai, you're next."

Kurenai stood up as she performed the seal. "From team Kurenai, I nominate Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino."

Hokage nodded in affirmation as the names appeared on the board. "Takagi, would you like to elect anyone?"

Takagi, inhaling deeply, put up the seals while he cast his eyes towards the scroll. "From Team Takagi, I nominate Yamato Taichi, Hyuuga Gray, Uchiha Mimi, Yamanaka Izumi and Uzami Manyama."

Suddenly, a silence overcame them as they all stared at Takagi who had a determined look on his face. Nobody had opposed to the idea by then until they heard a loud slam from the table.

"I object, Hyuuga Gray is nothing more than a reject of _Konohagakure_ and it is only through the reluctance of the _Hyuuga_ clan that he was accepted," one of the elders slammed his fists onto the table with a dark sneer. "Secondly, Yamato Taichi has shown nothing but abysmal performance! He has brought nothing but shame! So, why should we allow them both?"

Takagi sighed deeply, recalling the last issue the council worked up regarding the two of them. The last time this happened, Gray scared them with his marionette-like stare along with Taichi's mondo destruction tantrum. Mimi nearly got rejected for simply being from the Uchiha clan until she performed a completely controlled _Katon: Goukkakyou no Jutsu_. With a determined expression, Takagi calmly stepped forward.

"I can easily vouch for the three of them but if you wish to truly test their power then," he gestured towards the door. "Be my guest, I know exactly where they're training."

The _Hokage_ sighed deeply, watching Takagi challenge the elders of _Konohagakure_. "Takagi, it's not their power we're questioning – it's their maturity as people."

Takagi remained completely silent until Kakashi stood up in front of him.

"I worked alongside him when we took that C-class mission," Kakashi started carefully, watching the elders' eye movement. "Gray showed something that most ninjas wouldn't have: a cunning mind. While most prefer taking down their opponents in the fastest most painless way possible, Gray does it the same way except he sheds no blood on his hands. Not only that, he can command a team very well without gaining any fatalities. During the Sun Country mission, he proved that when he fought alongside Yamato Taichi, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke is not the type to listen to him and yet, they managed to work things out. Naruto and Taichi are probably the hardest control considering their pasts but he managed to rein them in. Doesn't that gain a mark of maturity? Although people refuse to admit this, Yamato Taichi is not as stupid as he shows himself to be. The boy is very perceptive and that works well with a no-signal strategy. Doesn't that make them both eligible?"

The whole council remained silent as Takagi glanced at Kakashi who smirked at him.

_This is my payment for letting me borrow Gray for a while. I have to admit; I was most impressed._

Takagi smiled in relief before mouthing a small "thank you".

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**This is chapter 10! Please review!**


	11. Journeymen

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 11 – Journeymen

Walking away from the council room, Takagi found himself completely speechless regarding the defence Kakashi put up for his students. However, he could not understand why they were biased mainly on Sasuke when Mimi descended from the same clan as he and performed more feats than he ever could. Although her attitude left much to be desired, ability-wise – taking down a Chasing Ninja wouldn't even require her to break a sweat. Gray probably had the biggest amount of maturity amongst all of them and yet he was denied. He and Hyuuga Neji could easily fight on par if he remembered talking to Gai and watching the male Hyuuga brunette train with Rock Lee. Unlike him though, Gray focused on enhancing his mind and his body simply coordinated with it. If fighting styles could be compared, he'd associate with Gray being the ocean. Without any wasted energy, he would bring out his attacks whereas Neji would be the calm before the storm; slowly unleashing a whole wave of energy with every attack.

_Anyhow, _Takagi glanced at the passes in his hand, nodding in affirmation. _I better get these passes to the kids. I'm sure I'm in for some interrogation._

"Takagi," a smooth voice caused the shaggy brunette to turn around and face his fellow silver haired _Jounin_. "I forgot to thank you verbally for lending me Gray."

Takagi waved his hand dismissively, smiling graciously. "It doesn't matter; you practically gave him entrance to the _Chuunin_ exams."

Kakashi continued to walk alongside him, glancing at the blue sky. "He had the abilities; he just needed a little shove from behind. But, his abilities are something. Have you ever considered putting him through ANBU training? Then again, you are the son of the third _Getsukage_ so it shouldn't be so hard for both of you. It would make your team more feared."

"Gray and I both agreed on one thing: we refused to become ANBU," Takagi narrowed his eyes at the passes with their names scrawled across it. "The politics nearly made me puke and Gray would rather not. He says it goes against all his philosophies as a _shinobi_. Cunning, stealthy and feared yet life-preserving as well; the one you should be asking about that should be Mimi. Her skills probably would benefit the ANBU more. Gray would probably be the most rebellious one. Heck, I'm already having quite some time keeping all of them in line. Although they have shit for brains, they're still my kids."

Kakashi chuckled at the younger _Jounin_'s description. "You truly are a family oriented man, aren't you?"

"Perhaps," Takagi smiled bitterly at the thought, watching little kids run around. "If there would be one thing we all have in common, it's that we understand the feeling of loneliness or have tasted true despair. We all learned how to bind with one another through threads called "strength" and "compassion". They are truly _nakama_ to one another. They all had some pain in their lives that they bury deep with themselves. That's why people misunderstand them; they're too blind to see what made them what they are. I bet you were just as shocked as I was when Gray showed you the house at the Wave Country."

The silver haired _Jounin _gestured Takagi to follow him to _Ichiraku Ramen_. "Oh yeah, you never did tell me. Were you able to read the reports?"

"As a result of being the eldest, Gray shouldered the responsibility of being the team leader and solving other people's problems for them," Takagi remarked offhandedly, thanking the man for the ramen. "He knows how to call the shots but while he's too busy being a martyr for his own ideals, he forgets about himself. That's why I lent him to you, Kakashi-_san_. The others aren't ready for that kind of epiphany yet. I wanted you to show him that there are people who care for him even if they're not tightly knit to him. He's the type of boy who would keep on giving without demanding anything in return. Good hearted and mischievous, what a paradox."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at the shaggy haired male. "How are Taichi and the others? They seem pretty fine."

"Mimi's not as violent as she is now compared to when she was younger," Takagi mournfully played around with the _naruto_ floating around in the ramen. "She used to be a very timid girl, according to Suzume-_san_. When I first found her trapped all alone in the basement, her eyes stared at me completely devoid of all emotion but she bared her teeth at me with a maniacal glare before tackling me to kill me. She started screaming "Give them back to me!" over and over again. Taichi never had parents either; he was sacrificed for his family's rise to power. The Yamato family may now be the biggest clan but for what price? All they know is – he's a weapon for the military. Manyama had been shunned in favour of all her cousins who placed better than her. Izumi probably is the only one who had a normal life but forever fighting for recognition. They feel each other's pain, Kakashi. We're only human after all."

Kakashi remained completely silent as he started rolling up the noodles. "Sasuke and Gray nearly started a brawl between one another."

"That's not surprising," Takagi chuckled lightly, sipping up some of the soup. "Sasuke's focused deeply on his vengeance that he would step on people also to do it. Gray would obviously object to that. No offense, Kakashi but Sasuke probably needs "corrective brain surgery" as Gray and Taichi say. The kid's ideals are so warped. I'm not saying Gray's perfect either; he's probably got more emotional outbursts than you can handle. Taichi on the other hand, self-explanatory, he causes more destruction than he intends."

Kakashi watched the soup heat the thinly sliced pork as he contemplated on Takagi's words. Sasuke definitely had some behavioural problems and Sakura's too blind to see that. Naruto on the other hand for every obvious reason was hated by the village. Unlike Takagi's team, they never confided anything in one another. They can't fight side-by-side without doubting one another.

"Well, thank you again for getting Gray and Taichi in," Takagi handed a handful of money, paying for both his and Kakashi's. "Don't bother paying; it's on me."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow at the former _Getsugakure_ ninja. "Jonouchi Ren, mind telling me where you got all that money?"

Takagi sighed dejectedly while ignoring the fact that Kakashi used his real name, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Let's say Mimi won a fighting contest and Gray's one devilishly talented and fortunate hustler."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Morning rolled by with the birds harmoniously chirping with one another. The morning breeze cooled down the rays of the sun as people continued busying themselves with their businesses. Children flocked near them and began playing around with one another while swinging their toy ninja weapons and pretending to compete against one another. Team Seven on the other hand had no time to idle as Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke found themselves walking towards the bridge, waiting for Kakashi. Naruto grinned cheekily at the other kids as he started playing around with them too.

Sakura yawned, stretching her arms. "I wonder why Kakashi-_sensei_ called us out so early. Do we have another mission?"

Sasuke let out a disgruntled snort while leaning against the railing of the bridge. Naruto on the other hand began pacing around for a few seconds until finally letting out annoyed sigh.

"Where's Kakashi-_sensei_," Naruto whined before plopping unto the ground.

As if on cue, Kakashi appeared on top of the arches. "Ah good, you're early. Sorry I took so long. You see, my friend wanted me to walk her pet barracuda..."

Sakura and Naruto immediately bellowed together. "YOU LIAR!"

Sasuke scoffed while rolling his eyes sarcastically at the two. "Anyway, what did you call us out for?"

Kakashi smiled while landing on the ground. "Well, I was wondering if you guys are into getting promoted so," –he drew out three permission slips. "I got one for each of you."

Naruto immediately brightened up and tackled Kakashi into a big hug, squeezing him tightly. "Thank you, Kakashi-_sensei_! This is the best!"

Kakashi laughed while ruffling the smaller ninja's hair. "You're welcome, Naruto. But the thing is; you guys have to be careful. We aren't the only village that's going to be here. There will be other villages taking their _Chuunin_ exam with us. Regardless of who they are; you better make sure you're prepared to bring them down."

The three nodded determinedly in unison as a smirk graced Sasuke's face.

_This ought to be fun_.

"Just go to the Academy and get your registration done there at the third floor," Kakashi gestured to the huge building behind him. "I have to go get something done first. So you three go ahead."

Watching Kakashi vanish, Naruto grinned excitedly and punched his fist into the air. "Alright, we get to become _Chuunin_!"

Sakura nodded while glancing at Sasuke who showed no facial expression whatsoever only to get an "hn" from him. She sighed before coaxing Naruto to lower the volume of his voice, causing the blonde to pout impishly at them. With that, the three immediately began heading towards the academy until they heard a loud yelp.

"Hey, give that back!"

A woman immediately began pursuing one of the men who had suddenly snatched her supplies. Sakura instantly drew out her _kunai_ to stop him until something shot through the handle of the bag and pierced it onto the wall. Naruto prepared to jump forward but Sasuke immediately stuck out his foot to prevent him from running anywhere, watching a thorny vine whirl up into the air.

"What in the world," Sakura blinked several times, staring incredulously.

A thorny whip appeared with a loud crack in the air and snaked towards the man before wrapping him up and flipping him onto the ground. Suddenly, Ino and Izumi appeared as the blonde _kunoichi_ gave the woman back her supplies and the red haired Yamanaka member retracted back her whip.

"Ino, what are you doing here," Sakura shook herself out of her entranced state.

The blonde _kunoichi_ sniggered at the pink haired girl. "Obviously, I was helping her get her things back, Billboard brow."

Sakura immediately fumed while bumping foreheads with her. "Shut up you pig; I had it all under control!"

"Yeah as if chasing him with a _kunai_ was the best idea," Izumi scoffed arrogantly, dismissing her whip. "He was just going to shove you out of the way anyway."

Sakura flared up immediately, grabbing Izumi by her shirt. "Why don't you stay out of this and shut up?"

"Screw off, bitch," Izumi hissed venomously until she felt something burn her feet. "Ow, who the hell was that?"

The triple streaked haired _kunoichi_ rolled her eyes before blowing the smoke from her fingers. "Sorry, I mistook you for Sasuke. Do note that we're going to be late if you keep fighting like a rabid fan girl."

Gray on the other hand showed up behind Mimi before bowing. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience my teammate has caused. Izumi, we better go."

The red head spat venomously at Sakura, flouncing away. "Che, you were just lucky! Next time, I'm gonna make you look so ugly that you're gonna wish you hid yourself under a rock!"

Watching them walk away, Sakura mimicked her behind her back mockingly before shoving Ino away. "Come on Naruto, Sasuke-_kun_, we can't disappoint Kakashi-_sensei_."

As the four other _Genin _headed towards the building, students suddenly started crowding at a single area. The three of them walked towards the crowd as one of the ninja shoved them aside.

"Beat it kid, you're not allowed to get in here!"

The fallen ninja snarled back, getting up on his feet. "They said it was the third floor wasn't it? Well, aren't we on the third floor?"

"No duh Sherlock, well guess what – you're not allowed to go in here," the bandaged ninja growled while grabbing the said boy by the collar before flinging him aside.

Sasuke immediately stepped in, watching the people carefully. "What's going on? Why the sudden block?"

"Even if you're the great Uchiha, there's no way you're getting in here," he scowled darkly, shoving Sasuke away. "Why don't you just go get screwed?"

Sasuke twitched slightly with an expression of complete irk as he whirled around for a kick and the other guy went for a punch while ducking. However, a boy in a green jumpsuit immediately intervened as he held back both Sasuke's kick and the boy's punch. Sasuke blinked several times in bewilderment; how was this guy able to hold back his kick? First of all, he showed no strain in his expression despite him throwing his weight into the kick. Secondly, he has bad leverage in his position.

"Who the hell are you," Sasuke narrowed his eyes as the boy shoved them both away.

"This isn't the place to settle things, do it outside if you must," the boy then stood up, watching Sasuke's and the other boy's eyes carefully.

As Sasuke backed up, he recalled how many flights of floors they all climbed up. Suddenly, a smirk appeared on his face while he folded his arms.

"With your reactions, it's obvious that this floor isn't it," Sasuke leaned against his left leg, triumphantly smirking at them. "It just looked as if it were three floors by extending the staircase and changing the numbers, right Sakura?"

Sakura blushed immediately, upon hearing that Sasuke now relied on her analysis. "Yes, it was quite strange that the staircase was longer than normal," –fighting her urge to squeal and maintaining a steely expression, "It was just a ruse to make us think it was the third floor when in reality – it's just the second floor."

Suddenly, the image faded and revealed the real number of the room. Instead of room 310, it became 210. Students stared in astonishment at Sakura and Sasuke. The boy in the green jumpsuit couldn't help but be amazed by the pink haired _kunoichi_'s analysis.

"Haruno Sakura!"

The pink haired _kunoichi_ suddenly swivelled her head towards the direction of the voice, lightly cocking her eyebrow. "Um... who are you?"

The boy then gave her a huge grin and thumb up. "I am Konoha's Green Beast, Rock Lee! Haruno Sakura, will you go out with me?"

Sakura visibly flinched at his sudden declaration, pondering on what to say.

_Oh God, I definitely can't see myself with him!_

Sakura waved her hand dismissively, restraining her urge to scream out her rejection. "Sorry, I can't. I have stuff to do."

Rock Lee stared at her back as she walked away with her two other teammates. He glanced at one side to see Uchiha Sasuke followed after her with his usual cold aloof boy image while Naruto disguised his snickering at how Sakura managed to reject him in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, the two boys that had recently blocked Sasuke hid behind the doors immediately.

"So those are Kakashi's kids huh," one smirked while looking through the small peep hole.

"The one I'd be more terrified of would be Takagi's kids," the other one snickered to himself before shuddering at the thought. "Perish the thought of having us fight one of them."

Suddenly, their disguises fell away and revealed two _Jounin_. "We're excited to see who the examinees are this year."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Wow Sakura-_chan_, that was amazing," Naruto jumped up and down excitedly, similar to a sugar high boy. "How did you know it was an illusion?"

Sakura shrugged with a small smile, nodding in acknowledgement. "It was common sense."

Suddenly, Naruto spotted Taichi walking towards him with his teammates. "Hey Taichi, where were you guys?"

The navy bluenette boy grinned goofily, revealing his Chuunin exam pass. "My friends wanted to restock on materials before going in. I can't believe we're going to become _Chuunin_!"

Sakura smiled at Gray, noticing him with a new blue scarf covering his forehead. "How are your wounds, Gray?"

"Well, most of them healed," Gray smirked mischievously, checking on his now completely healed stab wounds. "But, they shouldn't prove to be a problem. I managed to fix most of them."

Mimi narrowed her eyes at Sasuke until she got a reprimanding look from Manyama and Gray. "Geez, now I have both of you tailing me."

"We're trying to make sure you don't become a serial killer, Mimi," the weapons specialist lightly chided the youngest female, glancing at Sasuke. "I know he needs corrective brain surgery but you're gonna look like you need it too with the way you're going."

Mimi folded her arms with a dark childish pout, scowling deeply right after. "Lucky bastard."

Sasuke darkly glared back at her before walking away. "Tch, annoying pest."

Izumi slapped the back of Mimi's head, earning her a slight yelp from the triple streak haired female. "Mimi, what did Takagi-_sensei_ say about being nice to other people?"

Mimi, scowling darkly, reluctantly and begrudgingly smiled as sickeningly sweet as she could only to start choking. "Blech, it's disgusting!"

Taichi folded his arms before ruffling Mimi's hair with a teasing smirk. "Oh come on, smile a little bit for family will ya?"

"Fuck him, he's not family," Mimi spat venomously, averting her eyes away disgusted.

Silence settled in between them until they heard loud tapping from the upper floors.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

The black haired male Uchiha swivelled around to see Rock Lee standing at the ledge, fiercely staring down at him. Few moments later, he jumped down while staring hard into Sasuke's jet black orbs. Silence tensed the two teams as Izumi blinked several times. Sakura staggered back a bit as Naruto and Sasuke immediately began battle positions.

"Who's he?"

Taichi stood in front of Manyama right away with Gray standing in front of Izumi and Mimi while the female Uchiha prepared to launch a _ninjutsu_. "I'd like to know too..."

"Uchiha Sasuke, I, Rock Lee challenge you to combat! Whoever wins gets a chance to date Sakura-_chan_!"

Izumi gaped before bursting into hysterical fits of laughter, hugging her stomach. "I don't think he would even try beating you!"

Sakura glared holes at the vermillion haired _kunoichi_, snorting darkly. "Che, as if Sasuke would want to date you!"

"Izumi-_san_ is right about one thing," Sasuke snickered darkly before facing Rock Lee. "I don't even need to try hard to beat you."

Naruto, letting out a frustrated snort, started charging towards Rock Lee. "You're on!"

With very little effort however, Rock Lee spun around for an easy sliding kick which spent Naruto spiralling towards the wall until a stone hand caught him. The other six stared in amazement as Gray activated his _Byakkugan_ watching Rock Lee's movement carefully. Mimi activated her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ only to stagger back, completely stupefied.

"It's definitely not _Genjutsu_," Mimi shut down her powers, recalling his movement carefully. "To be honest, it looks like pure _Taijutsu_. The question is – is that kind of speed possible?"

Gray relaxed his stance a bit, watching for any movement. "It depends on the training regimen. If this guy has been training all his life with weights then, I wouldn't be surprised."

Rock Lee smirked triumphantly, preparing to fight Sasuke. "Yes, you are correct. That was all purely _Taijutsu_. That technique just now was called the _Konoha Seppu_ [Leaf Whirlwind Hurricane]. My goal is to become the best ninja without knowing any _ninjutsu_ or _taijutsu_."

Manyama glanced at Gray, cocking an eyebrow. "Isn't that more your style?"

"Gray's too innovative for that," Izumi tossed her hair back haughtily, sniggering at Rock Lee. "Secondly, why would Sasuke-_kun_ waste his time on an idiot like you?"

"I'll take you on."

Izumi whirled her attention towards the male Uchiha who walked forward with a smirk. "But I have to warn you, I'm not as stupid as Naruto."

Rock Lee smiled determinedly, preparing for Sasuke's attack. "Oh don't worry; I wasn't expecting you to be."

Sasuke rushed forward while throwing a punch to which Rock Lee easily dodged before throwing a kick at the champion. However, the current champion whirled around to dodge before performing a roundhouse kick to snap Rock Lee back. The green jumpsuit wearing boy launched himself at Sasuke again with a punch which the Uchiha male stepped back only to narrowly defend a hand-stand kick from Rock Lee. As Sasuke skidded back, he inhaled deeply until his eyes took on a new colour.

_Moron,_ Mimi furrowed her eyebrows. "You idiot, you may be able to copy whatever shit he can come up with but that doesn't mean your body will be able to handle to power...!"

Although Sasuke managed to throw himself with ease at Rock Lee, the male Uchiha soon found himself lagging behind. The green jumpsuit wearing boy then kicked Sasuke squarely at his jaw and sent him spiralling up into the air. Naruto couldn't help but stare in awe as Taichi immediately yanked his blonde fellow _jinchuuriki_ out of the way. Rock Lee soon unravelled his bandages and prepared to wrap them around Sasuke until a pinwheel toy pierced it against the wall. Sasuke still sailed in the air until Sakura ran over to catch him. Sasuke slid down a vine that Izumi immediately summoned before he crashed into Sakura's arms.

"Lee, that's enough!"

Out of nowhere, a turtle spawned with a _Konohagakure_ symbol on a headband around its neck. "How dare you use the move for such a petty show! Did you learn nothing?"

Rock Lee landed on the ground, hanging his head low. "I'm sorry..."

Sakura stared in disbelief before noticing Sasuke landing in her arms. _Oh God, even Sasuke's still trembling from that last attack..._

"Hey Sakura-_chan_," Naruto tiptoed towards her, whispering. "Is it possible for an animal to become a _sensei_?"

Sakura blinked several times in disbelief and bewilderment until she glanced at the bowl-cut haired student speaking with the turtle. "I don't think so..."

Izumi narrowed her eyes at the magenta coloured turtle. "Whoever's familiar this is, he better show himself."

The turtle glanced up to the top of his shell. "He's all yours, Gai."

Smoke suddenly exploded in the middle of nowhere with a man with equally furry eyebrows and also a green jumpsuit appeared in a very awkward position. "Oh such is the foolishness of youth! What has my beloved pupil done this time?"

Gray twitched furiously. _Who the hell is this guy?_

Sasuke felt his jaw twitch in confusion and shock, trying to stabilize himself. _Oh hell no..._

"Rock Lee has used nearly used the forbidden _taijutsu_," the tortoise immediately scolded the younger ninja. "It was a mistake to teach him such a strong move."

Gai shook his head disappointingly at Lee, folding his arms. "Lee, what did I tell you about using that move?"

"That I should only use it when I'm very sure with myself," Lee repeated slowly as Gai dropped his hand on Lee's shoulder.

"It's alright! That is the beauty from the springtime of youth," he slung his arm around his student, pointing at the sun. "Now, let us go train m'boy!"

"Yes Gai-_sensei_," Lee excitedly punched his fist in the air too as some sunset suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Holy God they come with their own sound and special effects," Manyama blinked several times disbelievingly, twitching several times. "Who the heck are these people?"

"Oh you must be Kakashi's and Takagi's kids," –all eight of them spun around to face the older version of Rock Lee as he smirked.

"The name's Maito Gai and I'm one of Takagi's and Kakashi's rival," he chuckled mirthfully, ruffling Naruto's hair. "I've won a couple of times against Kakashi. But Takagi's pretty elusive. You kids have any idea what he does on his spare time?"

_Now I understand why we often train alone and in secluded places, _Mimi shuddered at the thought of simply looking at the guy. "Uh, I don't know what he usually does. He's a really hardworking guy, right Gray?"

Gray nodded stiffly while trying to maintain a phlegmatic expression. "Yeah, we barely see him at home..."

Gai pursed his lips before exhaling in disappointment. "Hm, and here I was hoping to have a good match with him today. Then again, Takagi's a really busy man. I'll just have to seize the opportunity next time."

Taichi winced at the volume of Maito Gai's voice, smiling sheepishly. "Please don't."

"Lee, why are you taking so long and where's _sensei_?"

They immediately looked up and found two other people: a girl with buns in her hair and a white eyed boy with long brown hair. Gray backed up a little, noticing the boy's demeaning gaze.

"You," his voice became dreadfully dark as he stopped dead in his tracks.

Gray narrowed his eyes for a moment until a kick went flying for his face. The coffee blonde immediately ducked before jumping for a circular crushing kick to which the boy dodged expertly. Gray wasted no time in pushing himself back while evading most of the boy's punches until he caught one, twisted his arm and made contact with the boy's chest using his elbow. The said attacker tumbled back as Gray casually shoved his hands into his pocket.

"You could at least introduce yourself before attacking me out of the blue," Gray lowered his voice into a fierce whisper, watching the boy's movements carefully.

Before the boy could lunge at him again, Gai immediately stepped in front of him. "Now now, Neji, you'll be able to fight him soon. We're not supposed to be picking fights with one another."

Taichi sweat-dropped at the irony, scratching his head. _So, what the hell were you doing just now?_

Neji scowled darkly before whirling around, following after his teammates. "We'll meet soon, Hyuuga Reject. You're nothing but an inkblot to the family..."

Watching him walk away, Gray suddenly heard a slight tear on his scarf as it slipped onto his face. He blinked several times as he tried to retie his scarf around his forehead. Taichi glared daggers at Neji's back before changing his black eyes into golden reptilian ones until Manyama placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. Mimi remained expressionless while Izumi placed her hands on her hips.

"What's that guy's problem," Izumi raised an eyebrow questioningly at him before letting out an arrogant "hmph". "What a weirdo."

Sasuke chuckled darkly, walking towards the stairs. "You can't always have everyone liking you."

As everyone started moving towards the stairs, Gray remained frozen at where he stood in deep thought. He had never seen much of the Hyuuga members since he had been raised by Takagi but the only one he mainly had concern for was its heiress Hyuuga Hinata. She pleaded on his behalf to teach him the Hyuuga style in which she was to be the mentor. Much to her surprise, he caught on very quickly and both of them in the end started crossing references with one another.

_Let's see what you got, genius of the Hyuuga clan._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's chapter 11! Please don't forget to review~! By the way, thank you for all the reviews! It keeps me working hard!**


	12. Chuunin Exams, begin!

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 12 – Chuunin Exams, Begin!

Naruto and Taichi found themselves staring in front of the door that now led them to begin the Chuunin Exams. Taichi felt the hairs on his head tingle with excitement as he jumped around like a small child. Mimi on the other hand sharpened her _kunai_ with a small stone, glancing at the doors that would begin the _Chuunin_ Exams. Sakura inhaled deeply to calm herself as Sasuke smirked determinedly at the sight. Gray glanced at Manyama as she nodded vigorously at him whereas Izumi grinned cockily at the doors.

"You ready for this," Manyama threw back her long black hair with a confident smile, tousling her long tresses.

Gray deviously smirked as well, shoving his hands in his pockets and taking a more relaxed stance. "Hn, this shouldn't be a problem."

Taichi punched the air with a determined grin. "Let's show them the true power of Team Takagi! We're not gonna lose to a bunch of suckers!"

Gray chuckled cockily while glancing at the other teams walking into the doors. The coffee blonde couldn't help but wonder about the stance Neji took before he entered. Obviously, Neji revealed the trait of the Hyuuga clan however it never occurred to Gray as to why he would randomly attack a fellow clan member. Shaking his head, Gray retreated back to his normal relaxed stance as he prepared to lead his team in. Naruto jumped up and down enthusiastically as Sasuke swung the doors open, catching the attention of the nearby ninja. As the crowd glanced at them, Mimi grinned psychotically while causing some of the girls to instantly back away.

"Sasuke-_kun_," a loud shrill voice caused Sasuke to wince as a blonde female tackled him up front. "I knew you'd make it!"

Sakura immediately began to fume, struggling to rip apart the two. "Ino you pig, get away from Sasuke-_kun_!"

Ino stuck her tongue out mockingly at the pink haired _kunoichi_, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "Please Billboard Brow; Sasuke-_kun_ should have been in my team!"

Before a whole argument could erupt, a lazy brown haired male sauntered towards them with a slight groan. "Ino, come on – we have to join Chouji over at the front."

The blonde girl stuck her tongue out at her teammate before dismounting Sasuke's back. "Sheesh, you were never this hard working, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru scoffed lazily, rolling his eyes. "That's because we just left Chouji alone and aren't we supposed to be a team?"

Ino resisted the urge to glare at Shikamaru while throwing her long blonde hair back pompously. "Fine, let's go then."

As Ino and Shikamaru walked away, Taichi exchanged glances with the eldest of his team. "Come on, that was it?"

"Yamato, we're not going to duke it out here just because we crossed the paths of one of the ninjas," Gray rolled his eyes while surveying the area, glancing at the symbols each and every time. "So, there are at least five teams from every village... It shouldn't be too hard if we were to eliminate one another but fighting against the sand village is no easy task... After all..."

An image of his family's killer appeared in his mind, causing him to clench his hands into fists.

_My family was killed by an S-rank missing Sunagakure ninja._

"Hey wasn't that Yamanaka Ino a few minutes ago," Manyama smiled slyly, leaning against his back. "She may have the looks but her temper can beat my mom's any day. To be honest Gray, I thought you were aiming for better than that."

Gray fought down his urge to blush, brushing it off stoically. "I didn't say anything..."

"God Gray, you may be talented in pulling off pranks and hiding your emotions but your affections is so out in the clear," Manyama wagged her finger dismissively, as if addressing a dense student. "Gray, I've known you and Mimi for years. Izumi and Taichi know this too you know, it's not something you have to keep hiding from us. I mean, it's blatantly obvious that Izumi likes Sasuke and Mimi is rumoured to have a slight attachment to the psycho cousin of yours and Taichi's all over Hinata."

"You seem to be more or less interested in Shikamaru," Gray smirked deviously, watching her complexion pale considerably. "I didn't know you had something for unmotivated geniuses."

Manyama blushed abashedly, fighting down the crimson lighting up the apples of her cheeks. "Gray, shut up."

"You started it," Gray pointed out as-a-matter-of-factly, glancing around once again. "Manyama, what would you bet on more: a mental breaker or a physical breaker?"

"Maybe they'll do both," Manyama raised an eyebrow as Mimi narrowed her eyes at the competition. "Mimi, stop that."

The Uchiha girl tossed a glance at Gray. "I can't help but wonder that there's something wrong here. There's really big malicious presence. To be honest, I thought I was the only one who's paranoid."

Manyama glanced at Gray whose eyes also narrowed while observing the situation. The weapon specialist inhaled deeply as the other people began glaring at one another. Naruto started talking to some bespectacled male as he started revealing some characteristics on the cards. Sasuke, despite being a bit skeptical, also found himself deeply engrossed and interested in discovering things about his future opponents. Gray narrowed his eyes at the bespectacled ninja sharing information with his former teammates. His spine tingled in alarm as the echoes of everyone's chatter faded into the background.

_This guy, why does his aura feel so dark...?_

Before Gray could move forward, someone grabbed his wrist thus ending his daze. "Hey snowman, wake up!"

Gray snapped himself out of his daze when he found Taichi staring at him, gesturing to check up front. "Hey, you might wanna check who our examiner is."

The coffee blonde turned towards the front where a man in a trench coat stood with a firm line across his face. The man sauntered in quietly with a stern expression and his black bandana covering part of his scar across his face. Inhaling deeply, Gray took his seat as he found Sasuke adjacent from him but still in the row in front of him and Neji at his far right. A thin line formed at his lips as the examiner began observing each and every one of them. Naruto shivered slightly as Taichi took a seat next to him.

"I welcome you all to the _Chuunin Exams_," the burly man strode forward with a gruff snort. "My name is Morino Ibiki. It's completely unfortunate that you have me as your examiner. If you've heard rumours about me being the cruellest examiner alive then, I'm going to make those rumours a reality."

Naruto gulped fearfully as Sasuke and Sakura remained completely silent, continuing to listen to the examiner.

"First, house rules: one is – as a team of three, if one of you fails – none of you can move on to the _Chuunin _Exams. Secondly, no cheating and third – you can use the bathroom as long as I allow you to do so. Also, once I catch you cheating – none of you and your teammates will be able to take the _Chuunin _Exams ever again!"

Naruto gulped as beads of sweat poured down his face, feeling Sasuke's and Sakura's aura from where he sat. "S-So many murderous intentions..."

Gray smirked with his usual Trickster smirk while Mimi suddenly to chuckle psychotically, causing Ibiki to throw an evil glare at them. "What's so funny? Has fear driven you insane?"

Everyone stared at the female Uchiha for a moment as she arrogantly slammed her feet onto the desk, leaning against her chair.

"Did you really think your tactics are gonna work on someone like me," Mimi bluntly stated with an arrogant sneer, grinning darkly and standing up. "The last time I've faced an interrogator – he started crying for his mother once I was done with him. So, I'm just warning you ahead that you should call an asylum to pick you up. I'm not very nice to bastards like you."

Izumi bit her lower lip at Mimi's bravado, twiddling and knotting her fingers. The Uchiha female may look like a normal emo kid but apparently, she had enough arsenals to make a full-grown man cry. Using her _Genjutsu_ to throw people into a pit of despair and horror was something they often saw her do.

_That's right – if anything, Mimi's the best at dealing with mental pressure next to Gray. She's seen death before her very eyes and..._

"I'm not the type to feel guilty either even if I have to chop off someone's arm to gain the information I want," Mimi noticed Ibiki's eyes somewhat wavering. "What's the problem? You seem a little," – a slow smile appeared on her lips. "Pale."

Ibiki's expression however remained completely stoic as he watched Mimi challenge his authority. If anything, he was more amused than terrified of what she was capable of. Takagi and him had spoken a few times about her and Mimi had gained notoriety as the hardest nut to crack in terms of mental and conscience pressure. However, Mimi showed more promise in being an assassin rather than being an interrogator. But, Ibiki shrugged off the verbal threats easily; Mimi's teammates however had their aura spilling all over the place. He could understand the red haired Yamanaka clan member along with the weapon master but the dragon and the hybrid had his nerves running ecstatically. According to the profiles given to him, power wise – Taichi would be the most dangerous especially after being subjected to a degree of intense emotional stress. Mental-wise, however, the coffee blonde male started staring back at him with a mischievous glint in his emerald green eyes.

_This ought to be fun. One thing you know about these kinds of people, once a fellow comrade is hurt – they all tend to fall back._

"Well, better check your eyes in case they fail you girl – it may cost you and your team dearly," Ibiki smirked devilishly at her, crossing his arms.

Mimi nonchalantly blew the imaginary dust off her fingernails. "Don't take me for a retard, bandana head. You yourself can feel the drops of sweat falling from your whiny little ass."

Gray resisted the urge to face palm right there and then. _And instead of taking the Chuunin exams, we end up getting a front row seat to watching how manipulate and become a criminal mind._

Ibiki chortled in amusement, handing out the papers. "Good luck, you brats."

As they passed it around, Mimi sniggered lightly to herself and glanced at Gray who remained completely calm about it. The coffee blonde Hyuuga male took out his pencil uncaringly and began writing down the answers. Silence overwhelmed the room as his emerald eyes cast a glance at Mimi. The female Uchiha said nothing but a huge smirk curved up her lips.

_We've done this kind of shit before, haven't we?_

Gray shook off the heavy tension with a small smirk while glancing at the questions. His eyes widened ever so slightly while looking around carefully. Seeing that Ibiki's back was turned, a huge smirk appeared on the coffee blonde male's lips. Focusing deeply and closing his eyes, Gray let the _chakra_ flow into his eyes as they became completely white.

_Byakuggan!_

Seeing past his other test-mate, Gray sniggered inwardly while instantly copying the answers off him. He weakened it a bit to prevent Ibiki from noticing his _Byakuggan_ activation before passing Morse-code at Mimi who instantly saw the pattern and message. Nobody however noticed Gray's foot tapping at a certain rhythm as they continued monitoring the other students. She inhaled deeply as her formerly dark eyes became vermillion with whirling _tomoe_ in her eyes. Slowly, Team Takagi noticed time suddenly slowing down as everything froze instantly. Gray nodded towards the others as they all gathered at one corner.

"How long can you keep this up, Mimi," Gray glanced at the female Uchiha who nonchalantly leaned against the wall. "I wouldn't want Ibiki finding us together."

"Thirty minutes, more or less."

Manyama nodded in approval. "Good enough for us to figure out the answers together. Did you guys get anything?"

"He probably placed a _Chuunin_ guy in front of me," Gray narrowed his eyes at Ibiki, showing his papers. "By the way, what did you do to make all the supervisors think we were still taking the test?"

Mimi bit her lower lip, copying his answers. "Creating a mind projection is easier than messing with time and space. It only seems to us that they don't really move is because of the _Genjutsu_ application. Other than that, they still think we're screwed. I kinda feel bad but – ah, who am I kidding? The less competitors, the better!"

Taichi solved another physics problem, pointing it out to Gray. "Hey, I didn't know there was physics here."

"Now we know," Gray glanced at his watch, noticing the time run. "We've got five minutes on the clock. Finish up."

Izumi snickered a bit as she watched Ino struggle through the _Chuunin _exams. "Clearly, this woman did not study. I bet you she's gonna possess Sakura just to get the answers. I mean – billboard brow over there has to have her uses in a team instead of just screaming like a little bratty princess."

"You were in a tight spot yourself until Mimi subjected him to an illusion," Manyama remarked off-handedly, only to get an indignant huff from the red haired flower artist.

Mimi winced a bit, feeling the strain on her left eye. "Okay guys, time's up!"

They immediately leapt back to their seats as she removed the _Genjutsu_, watching Ibiki carefully as time flowed once again. The infamous examiner continued to strut along as if nothing was wrong as Gray turned off his _Byakuggan_ and pretended to write. Seeing Sasuke adjacent from him, he watched the black haired ninja's writing pattern becoming slowly similar to that of his front seatmate. The trickster snickered inwardly as he found the others scratching their heads particularly Naruto as they tried to continue with the test.

"Isn't a ninja's objective to gain information without getting caught," Ibiki sneered with a devilish smirk, watching all the students struggle through the test. "So, what's all the fuss?"

Sakura bit her lower lip but couldn't deny the fact that the test was increasingly mind-boggling. _This test is really forcing us to cheat._

"We have no other choice," Sasuke lowered his voice into a determined whisper. "We're gonna have to risk it."

"I see you're finally getting the hang of it," Ibiki chortled with amusement. "Ninjas are taught how to gather information without being caught, regardless of the consequences."

Naruto gulped as he watched the sand ninja puppeteer named Kankuro hand a scroll to his sister, Temari. He narrowed his eyes at the two _Sunagakure _ninjas that he met moments ago until he felt someone nudging his arm. He cast his gaze towards the indigo haired Hyuuga heiress as she averted her gaze from his.

"Um, Naruto-_kun_," Hinata gently slid her paper under her arm, shyly smiling. "Here, you can cheat off mine..."

Naruto grinned foxily, shaking his head with determination. "It's alright, Hinata! I'm gonna do things my way! That's my style!"

Hinata blushed out of embarrassment, retracting her paper with a soft response. "Oh right, I'm sorry..."

However, deep in Naruto's mind – the blonde clearly thought to himself while resisting the urge to bang his head on the table. _I shouldn't have done that!_

Gray continued to pretend writing as Taichi lay his head on the table, drooling and scribbling. Manyama bit her lower lip as she watched Ibiki continue circling around them, glancing towards Izumi and Mimi. The female Uchiha continued to scribble around, drawing some doodles.

"I see you noticed how hard the test actually is," Ibiki chuckled darkly, watching the students scratch their heads.

Sakura swallowed hard. _He's right; this test is practically forcing us to cheat. What can we do?_

"Ninjas are supposed to be able to collect information regardless of the circumstance," Ibiki sneered as he sat on the chair with a demeaning glare. "So, figure it out."

Neji chuckled lightly as he activated his _Byakuggan_. Sasuke found his _Sharingan_ working well for him, the red haired male named Gaara summoned a sand eye as it began searching around for answers. Shino spoke quietly to the bugs as it started giving him answers. Gray inhaled sharply as he continued to write down some nonsense numbers to make it look convincing.

"By the way, may I remind you that there is the," Ibiki hesitated for a moment before slowly smiling. "The tenth question?"

Taichi immediately began searching his paper, staring in horror. "What? There's a tenth question? Where? I don't see it."

Izumi slammed her hands on the desk. "You can't do that! That's not even in the rules!"

Gray face palmed before sinking into the table. _Taichi, you really have dirt for brains..._

Mimi rolled her eyes sarcastically before slamming her feet on the table on top of her paper. "Sheesh, everyone knows that's a fluke. I checked the paper back and forth unless you're gonna invent something, nitwit. You're gonna have to do better than that, pirate man!"

Sniggering with a devilish gleam, Ibiki folded his arms. "Sharp-witted for an Uchiha; it wouldn't be a surprise if you were truly the sibling of Uchiha Itachi."

Mimi twitched furiously, curling her fingers into a fist.

"What did you say," –her voice slowly became low and demonic.

Gray immediately grabbed her wrist before shaking his head. The last thing he needed was Mimi flying off the handle to go murder anyone who mentioned the word "Uchiha Itachi". The last time that happened, Takagi underwent interrogation because people began questioning his ability not only as a ninja but as an adoptive parent. He knew that he had his own share but Mimi probably simulated hell the best when pissed off.

"But Gray," she glared until Gray gave her a dead-on calculating stare, snarling darkly. "Don't give me that damn Trickster glare!"

As he removed his hand from her wrist, symbols appeared on her hand in Morse code reading:

_Don't blow a fuse now. If you do, all of Takagi-sensei's efforts would have gone to waste._

Clucking her tongue, Mimi immediately snapped her mouth shut. She glanced at Gray whose expression returned to that of being the nonchalant Trickster but the female Uchiha knew better. The coffee blonde Hyuuga remained completely stoic and indifferent for reasons nobody really understood but it was kind of unnerving. Mimi snickered a bit when Ibiki found Gray staring at him calculatingly with his emerald green eyes flickering once in awhile.

"Very well, I will give you a chance," Ibiki smiled slowly, glancing at the other people taking the test. "Answering the tenth question you see will determine whether or not you are worthy for the _Chuunin_ Exams. Answer it right, you get to move on. Answer it wrong, you will NEVER be allowed to become a _Chuunin_. Give up and you won't become a _Chuunin_ but at least you'll be able to try again next year. All those who want to give up raise your hand."

Soon, many people began to raise their hands as the interrogators started bringing them out. Sakura trembled at the revelation, feeling her palms become increasingly sweaty and clammy. Sasuke cast a glance at her but both of them glanced worriedly at Naruto.

_Damn it, intelligence isn't Naruto's strong point._

Naruto trembled violently at the thought, glancing at the paper. He knew one thing: if he failed, everyone else goes down with him. The blonde ninja swallowed hard as he turned towards Taichi who managed to sleep through the entire ordeal. He stared incredulously at the navy bluenette who happened to snore a bit throughout the ordeal. He shook his head before realizing he had no other choice. Answering the tenth question and getting it wrong at the same time banned his teammates and him from being _Chuunin_ permanently. Biting his lower lip, the blonde fox slowly raised his hand.

_Sasuke, Sakura... I'm sorry._

"Oh," Ibiki raised an eyebrow with a smirk, folding his arms. "You're submitting?"

Everyone directed their gaze towards Naruto as his hand trembled in the air. The blonde _jinchuuriki_ bit his lower lip while glancing at Sakura and Sasuke. Both of them had defeated expressions before he finally slammed his hand on the table, shocking everyone in the room.

"I'm not giving up no matter what you tell me," Naruto curled his fingers into a fist, pointing angrily at the interrogating ninja. "I'm gonna get through this and become _Hokage_!"

Sakura sighed deeply to herself, smiling in relief. _You were always the idiot, Naruto. But you're our very own idiot; one who doesn't give up no matter how high the odds. _

Instead of giving up however, Ibiki flashed a big smile on his face before letting out a hearty guffaw. All the students stared at him as if he had gone psychotic as he wiped a tear out of his eye.

"Ah, a good laugh that was," he chuckled heartily before sitting on the table. "All of the people in this room have PASSED!"

Everyone stared incredulously at the man before exchanging glances with one another.

"So what the hell was this damn test for," Mimi scowled from her chair, placing her feet on the table.

Ibiki chuckled lightly at the scowling and glaring female Uchiha. "My, my, you're the feisty one now, are you? It was to test how well you can gain information without getting caught. You did quite a trick; creating an illusion of making it look like none of you kids were moving. Your brother did quite a talented skill as well by analysing the flow of chakra instead of looking for the words themselves with his _Byakuggan_."

Gray stared incredulously. _How the hell did he figure that out by just looking at me?_

"I spoke with Takagi previously regarding both of you," Ibiki crossed his legs before resting on the chair comfortably. "The council has been on the prowl regarding some brats who were born with indigenous talent. I didn't know one with a thick-headed skull was included."

Naruto blinked several times as the man snickered back at them.

"Ninjas, regardless of the circumstance, must obtain information no matter what the cost," Ibiki slammed his palm against the table, pulling off his bandana and revealed multiple scars. "Surprised? Heh, so was I the first time when I had to attain all the information possible. When you get caught, this happens to you. They will torture you and you must keep your mouth shut. Keep information inside regardless of the pain."

Mimi whistled, leaning against her arms. "That's gotta hurt."

Gray rolled his eyes sarcastically at her, twitching at the obvious. "You don't say?"

"Hey!"

Ibiki chuckled as all the students slumped down onto their chairs out of relief. However, he couldn't help but show slight amusement with the other examinees. He cast a glance towards the photocopies of the testing permits lying on his desk as he scanned through the profiles. A small smirk curved up his lips as he pulled out Naruto's, checking his former grades.

_The kid may be an idiot but, it's what gets him through the exam._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"We did it," Naruto jumped and clapped his feet up in joy, giving everyone a determined grin. "That's one step closer to becoming _Hokage_!"

Taichi nodded as he clenched his hand in a fist, pumping his left arm. "Alright, round one – we win!"

"Clearly they were making fools out of us," Mimi snorted disgustedly, kicking a pebble on the ground. "What kind of idiot invents the tenth question when it's not on the damn paper!"

Izumi waved her hand dismissively, singing to herself. "What's done is done! I'm just glad we managed to make it through! How did you guys get the answers?"

Sasuke, finally curious, turned his gaze towards the coffee blonde Trickster of Team Takagi as the Hyuuga male shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a trade secret."

"Trade secret my ass," Sasuke snorted in annoyance, walking away.

_This guy... How can he freakin' come up with things so fast? Where does all that power come from!_

Manyama snickered while watching Sasuke storm off. "Looks like the Uchiha isn't as great as everyone says he is."

"He's so troublesome sometimes," –everyone turned around to see Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino standing behind them.

Ino slapped the backside of Shikamaru's head, twitching furiously. "Don't insult Sasuke-_kun_ like that! He's probably just stressed out since Billboard Brow does nothing but whine!"

Sakura fumed immediately and lunged at Ino, preparing to claw out the blonde _kunoichi_'s eyes. "You take that back!"

Mimi face palmed, throwing her hands in the air. "I'm outta here; I don't want to deal with this kind of shit. Come on Gray, I wanna make... Gray?"

Gray however refused to respond to her as he stared emotionlessly at the yelling blonde. Despite the loud yelling and quarrelling, his mind seemed to float elsewhere as he found himself completely frozen. Mimi resisted the urge to pull her hair out as she kicked the back of his head.

"Bastard," – earning her a shocked stare from everyone, Mimi grabbed his ponytail. "Are you deaf or something?"

Gray shook himself out of the daze, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Ah... Sorry."

Now it was Mimi's turn to be shocked; since when did he space out like that and respond normally?

"Gray, you alive?"

The coffee blonde, hearing the concern in her voice, suddenly responded with his usual smirk. "_Pupina_~."

Upon hearing his response, Mimi immediately fumed up again and punched him. "YOU STUPID IDIOT!"

"Wow, her insults are surprisingly milder," Sakura blinked a few times, staring incredulously at the two step-siblings. "Do they always yell at each other like that?"

Taichi blinked disbelievingly a few times. "Usually, it's me and snowman throwing the insults at one another. It's rare for them to fight."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Walking back, Mimi exhaled in relief with Gray mutely walking alongside her. She glanced back at the bickering girls before observing her step-brother's face. He remained completely silent the whole time as his eyes started surveying around the area, seeing children running around.

"She would have called you a 'stalker' you know," Mimi justified her reasons, hanging her head a bit for kicking him in the head too hard.

Gray chuckled darkly, glancing at his sweaty palm. "Yeah, I guess. Heh, I should have come up with something better."

"That's why I say that women are the stronger species," Mimi punched her chest proudly, ruffling his hair. "Men are putty in women's hands the moment they're given a porn mag. Besides, what would you see in a banshee like her?"

Gray raised an eyebrow at Mimi, folding his arms. "In defence and behalf of the male population, not all of us are like that. Besides, Ino's smart… pretty and…"

"A complete slut to Sasuke," Mimi scoffed darkly, glancing at the children running around. "Jeez, get a better girl will you? Heck, I'll even help you if it's Ten-Ten or that girl from _Sungakure_. At least they have some sense of dignity. Don't you dare ask me about Sakura – she's equally as bad as Ino!"

The coffee blonde Trickster let out a devious chuckle before walking along. However, the wind suddenly became cold as black leaves started falling at his feet.

"Hey Mimi, nice try but even I'm not that stupid," Gray smirked while walking nonchalantly past the falling leaves.

"Um Gray, that wasn't me," Mimi gulped while watching the black leaves fall unto the ground, turning dust.

The two ninjas immediately stood back to back with one another as they began surveying the surroundings. The warm horizon suddenly became pitch black with the winds blowing harshly against their skin. The female Uchiha began searching around with her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_, biting her lower lip.

"What is this," she trembled violently, embracing herself.

Gray activated _Byakuggan_ but found nobody standing around. His eyes widened for a moment as he focused more _chakra_ into his eyes, seeing not even the slightest trace of human anatomy. However, muisc began to echo throughout the air. A musicbox-like sound as Gray suddenly heard something piercing his ears, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Gray," Mimi caught him only to succumb to the sound as well. "What is this!"

Gray winced at the repeating music as his _Byakuggan_ slowly began to fade. As he continued looking around, a white figure appeared within his midst as it continued playing the flute. Slowly, it emerged from the shadows revealing a vague pink tint as he keeled on the ground.

_There can't be a jutsu without a caster, right?_

"Welcome to your worst nightmares," a voice gleefully cackled as the two were swamped by a whole tornado of jet black leaves.

Unfortunately, the only thing Gray and Mimi remembered was hitting the cold pavement.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Hi guys, sorry for the late revamp! This kinda took me awhile to update since I somewhat lost my inspiration and I have school work to deal with! I hope you like it! Please review!**


	13. Forest Hunt

**Me: Hi, this is a completely revamped chapter of my story. So, yeah – I'm going to be displaying techniques I've seen also in other ninja anime most especially Brave Ten since Anastasia is awesome! XD There will also be some cameo appearances by the several and perhaps even some term mentions. I tried looking for an easier translation but apparently they don't sound as cool so here we go! I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 13 – Forest Hunt

Naruto found himself completely surrounded by the other teams as they all gathered by the entrance of a certain forest. His blue eyes surveyed around the area as Sakura and Sasuke started going to the reception desk to get their applications approved. The blonde fox inhaled deeply while gazing at the bright blue skies. A huge grin curved up his lips until a loud shuffle echoed behind him. He spun around only to find a box sitting behind him. Blinking several times, Naruto eyed the box suspiciously before walking around. Slowly, the box began to trail after him until Naruto suddenly spun around.

"Gotcha," Naruto pounced on top of the box and pulled it up, only to meet the faces of Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. "Hey, it's you guys! What are you guys doing here?"

Konohamaru rubbed his nose with a huge grin, beckoning Moegi and Udon to stand behind him. "Don't worry about us! Just focus on your Chuunin Exams! After all, we're the..."

"KONOHA POLICE FORCE," the three of them chorused in unison.

Naruto blinked a few times before following up with the others to the reception desk. "Um... Okay?"

On the other hand, Taichi sat by a huge rock formation next to Manyama and Izumi while Gray and Mimi left to go retrieve the scroll. His black eyes glanced blankly at the pebbles that swirled around as he popped one into his mouth. Manyama tossed a few _kunai_ in the air before catching them all in between her fingers. The silver dragon_'s jinchuuriki_ glanced around for a moment before casting his eyes towards a familiar indigo haired girl hiding behind a tree. He blinked several times before walking up to her, tapping her shoulder.

"Hey."

"Waa," she jumped before moving away towards another tree, hiding behind it. "Taichi-_kun_, what are you...?"

Taichi immediately backed up after seeing how terrified she was, scratching his head sheepishly. "Oh sorry, didn't mean to freak you out that badly. I was just wondering though, what are you doing?"

She meekly twiddled with her fingers, averting and avoiding eye contact. "Um, I...I..."

Taichi blinked several times, smiling awkwardly at her shy state. She stuttered immensely but her bright white eyes even made her look more demure than most. The silver dragon inhaled deeply to rearrange his smile only to fail miserably at trying to make her feel any better. A silence wedged itself in between them as the two couldn't even make eye contact with one another. Taichi cast a slight glance only to hide his face again. He placed his hand on his face discreetly, retracting his hand immediately after feeling the heat. However, something decided to hit him right there and then when he found himself staring and admiring the indigo haired _kunoichi_.

"Oh wait, I haven't even gotten your name," Taichi grinned impishly, scratching his head sheepishly. _Damn, snowman told me what her name was before and now I can't remember...!_

She immediately jerked her head up out of surprise, averting her gaze once again before twiddling with her thumbs. "M-My name is..."

"Hinata-_sama_, I hope my teammate isn't harassing you of the sorts," Gray suddenly appeared behind Taichi with his usual mischievous smirk, causing the earth dragon to yelp.

Taichi pointed an accusing finger at his teammate, snitching his nose. "You're usually the one causing havoc, snowman!"

"At least my havoc is more mischievous than actually physically disturbing," Gray calmly retorted back with his usual devious drawl, shrugging nonchalantly to place his hands in his pockets. "Hinata-_sama_, I'm glad you made it into the _Chuunin _exams. Your training has truly paid off."

Hinata smiled kindly before patting Gray on the head. "I wouldn't have gotten here if you didn't encourage me, Gray-_nii-san_. Most of my improvements came from your encouragement and confidence in me. Kiba-_kun_ and Shino-_kun_ also pointed that out too..."

Gray chuckled sheepishly, smiling lightly before lowering his head. "Ah but, you did this all yourself. Like you said, all you needed was a little encouragement and confidence, Hinata-_sama_."

Taichi blinked several times before making sure he was not deceiving himself, mentally slapping himself a few times. The normally snarky, mischievous and calculating Gray had been reduced into a humble and noble servant by Hyuuga Hinata. Not that he knew her last name but the eyes spoke everything for what clan she was from. The _jinchuuriki_ found himself completely flabbergasted with the way Gray spoke, blinking several times once again to reassure himself that it was no illusion. Watching the Hyuuga heiress being called away, Taichi sauntered over to the _Petenshi_ before blankly staring at him.

"Dude, what the heck was all that knightly chivalrous speech style," Taichi stared at Gray continuously, completely bewildered by his partner's sudden change of behaviour. "Hinata's our generation but you treat her like she's some high class aristocrat or something! Did someone poison your food to induce complete submission or something?"

Gray shook his head darkly, smirking with his usual mischievous and devilish drawl. "I only serve Hinata-_sama_. Her family's a bit high on the political and combative side of the noble clans. As one of the primordial families from _Konohagakure_, she is basically what people would address as their princess. With every princess however, there are her personal knights."

"Dude, you're anything but a knight," Taichi retorted in disbelief, completely aghast at the idea. "You're like the princess' personal assassin or contract killer, man! Some knight you are, you come out more as Loki from... what's that place again? Besides, you don't even have a code of chivalry!"

"Asgard and Niflheim," Gray pointed out with a dejected sigh, walking towards their other teammates. "The exam is about to start, we better prepare."

Taichi followed after his other male teammate before lining up behind Mimi at the gates, grinning impishly. "So, what in the world are we supposed to do again?"

The female Uchiha resisted the urge to throttle him, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "Kick another team's ass, retrieve the scroll and finally go to the fortress in the heart of the forest. We're supposed to accomplish this in five days."

Taichi cracked his knuckles with a gleeful and determined grin, loosening the joints in his neck. "Well, get your game on!"

"We can't afford to lose to the other teams," Manyama announced while standing in front of the entrance to the forest, psyching herself for the trial. "As a five man team, we're supposed to have more firepower and brainpower. So, we can't have them outsmarting us or let alone out-powering us."

Izumi squealed inwardly to herself, casting a sideward glance towards Team Kakashi at one of the entrances. "Sasuke-_kun _is going to be watching!"

"_Yudan sezu ni ikou_," Gray fiercely whispered a reminder, watching the other teams pile up at their designated areas. (Don't let your guard down)

The examiner stood in front of them with a small plate of _takoyaki_ in her hands, introducing herself cheerfully.

"Okay, listen up," –the violet haired woman gestured to herself. "The name's Mitarashi Anko and I'll be your examiner for this part of the examination! Each of the teams has to conquer the trials in the forest for the next five days. A few reminders: make sure you bring a lot of medical supplies. Secondly, do not open the scroll you have until you have both and are at the tower. After all," –a bright gleam flickered in her eye, causing the candidates to swallow hard at their imagination. "Something terrible's bound to happen. Also, you seriously do not want to irritate me because I assure you that your deaths will be tortuously slow and painful."

Naruto chuckled cockily, punching the air. "Ha-ha, this is gonna be easy! We just have to steal the scroll right? So, whaddya waiting for? Let us in already!"

Anko, sighing dejectedly and without any warning, struck Naruto with a _kunai_ causing it to whiz past him with a small graze on his cheek. "Don't interrupt me, you little midget! Are you deaf? Didn't I just tell you thirty minutes ago **NOT **to irritate me!"

Naruto complained childishly before jumping back up for a recovery. "But you're the one spending all the time talking! We could have easily gone in and finished things before sunset!"

"Shut up you little runt," Anko prepared to punch him only to have a long tongue return her _kunai_ to her. _Where in the world?_

"Here," the grass ninja grinned serpent-like as she handed the _kunai_ to the examiner. "I believe you dropped this?"

Anko smiled fake with appreciation, narrowing her eyes at the figure. "Ah, thanks..."

_There's no mistaking it. That person – it has to be Orochimaru! I don't know who else can pull that trick off without breaking their own skeleton!_

"If you all have given in your application for the scrolls, find the gate you're assigned to and," Anko threw a dirty glance towards the _Kusagakure_ ninjas as they prepared to enter the forest dome. "Good luck."

Hearing the metal gates creak and clank, Anko watched the teams proceed inside as she found herself standing outside in solitude amongst the rustling leaves. The wind blew harshly against her skin as the bright blue skies greeted her with white clouds slowly began filling up the cerulean spaces, continuously drifting by. Her ebony black eyes narrowed suspiciously before the _kunoichi_ embraced whole body, shivering from the summer wind. The memories of the said Orochimaru flooded her mind as she weakly surrendered herself to watching the forest dome from the outside.

_Gambatte. You will all need it._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Team Takagi**

"Whoa, what kind of people leaves sticky sap on the ground," Taichi struggled to pull out his foot from a puddle full of tree sap. "Man, couldn't we have come in through a cleaner gate at least?"

Izumi comfortably strut past the plants, inhaling deeply. "You shouldn't complain so much, Yamato. Mother Nature designed this place herself. The fact that this place even still exists despite your reckless destructive tendencies is actually a miracle! You probably would have crushed everything in sight, indiscriminately!"

Gray scowled in annoyance, brushing the vines and low hanging branches away from his vision. "It was a randomized selection. There could have been more horrible places to end up like..."

"Right in front of a whole tree infested with hornets and wasps," Mimi smoothly interjected, striding next to the eldest male before earning her a couple of "are-you-crazy" stares from her other teammates. "What? I was just joking! It's not as if this place is really infested with that kind of shitty artillery right?"

Manyama swallowed hard before shaking violently, pointing upward. "You guys might want to never have mentioned that or jinxed that chance..."

Before Gray could question why, he looked up only to find a whole tree filled with hornets and wasps rushing towards them with berserker fury. His emerald eyes widened before he jumped back, forming closing his hands together for the tiger seal.

"_Hyouton; Gyokouyari_!" (Ice Element; Frozen Lance)

Ice spears formed from the pools of sap as it launched itself into the air, piercing the flying insects and the nests. Izumi unsheathed her whip immediately before launching another volley of thorns towards it. Manyama dodged stinging wasps as she flung a few explosive tags at it, leaping away. The Uchiha _kunoichi _immediately replaced Manyama before unleashing her _Katon Goukkakyou no Jutsu_ (Grand Fireball Technique) and setting the whole tree on fire, prompting an explosion. The five man team immediately leapt to into a set of bushes, hiding from the huge explosion and the burnt skeletons of hornets and wasps.

"I knew it! _Kami-sama_ wanted us to die by getting stung by hornets and wasps," Taichi exclaimed dramatically, dropping onto the ground with a sharp exhale. "Man, that was horrible!"

The coffee blonde Hyuuga trickster gasped heavily, trying to calm down his palpitations to no avail. "God, I hate hornets, wasps or anything with poisonous stingers in particular..."

Mimi started dismissively waving away the smoke, inhaling heavily before glancing over the burnt insect corpses. "We should have brought some strong insect repellent or something. But, where did these things come from? Don't they have a maintenance crew for this place?"

"According to the blueprints posted on the railings," Manyama displayed the paper on the ground for everyone to get a better overview. "This place, known as the Forest of Death, was a former place of refuge whenever a huge war would occur most especially the Great _Shinobi_ Wars. People would then flood into the fortress where they would be defended by insect traps, sap and probably hidden explosives depending on who their opponent is. Animals here are also trained to respond to certain signals to either attack or defend the fortress. The problem however is designation of targets – they become extremely vicious the moment they taste human blood."

Gray pondered for a few moments, tracing the pathway carefully. "I'm guessing wherever we pass – it's approximately five kilometres away from the main infrastructure, right?"

Izumi snorted in annoyance, falling onto the ground in exhaustion. "Geez, it's barely been a day and we're all exhausted all because we could have been attacked by a huge nest of hornets and wasps!"

Taichi suddenly beamed with an idea, glancing at the tree. "Hey guys, what if we use those hornets' nests and wasp nests to fight?"

They all stared at him incredulously as the silver dragon summoned a few pebbles and stones to create a diagram.

"Think about it: people would be more terrified of poisonous insects over us," Taichi grinned triumphantly, seeing he had earned everyone's attention. "So, why don't we just summon a huge armada of bugs and scare the living daylights out of them?"

Nobody said a word until Gray spun around and activated his _Byakuggan_. "There's a team over there with the scroll of Heaven. They look relatively weak but they could be hiding their true potential."

Mimi grinned devilishly before jumping onto one of the branches. "We should have done this earlier."

"Too bad you guys won't be able to fix that mistake."

Gray immediately threw a _kunai_ towards the source of the sound as a group of ninjas showed up. Izumi and Manyama immediately stood back to back while Mimi, Taichi and Gray circled around the attacking ninjas. Checking their forehead guards, Gray activated his _Byakuggan _immediately to assess the _chakra_ levels only to have his vision to completely fog up. He shook it off immediately only to see huge sparks and flames of _chakra_ spouting everywhere. Taichi's eyes widened however as the silver dragon's _jinchuuriki_ jabbed his finger at the _Kusagakure _team.

"Guys, isn't this the same man who helped the examiner get her _kunai_ back," Taichi blinked several times before readying a couple of stones in his hand.

Manyama nodded vigorously in realization, drawing out her scroll immediately. "Yeah, it's the same guys but..."

"I see you're assessing our strengths and weaknesses," the effeminate leader walked forward calmly with a slow serpentine smile. "That's pretty advanced for a Hyuuga ninja. Could it be you're its heir? Quite an interesting catch I have here: the last female Uchiha, the genius of the Hyuuga clan, a weapons specialist, the earthen dragon and the flower of the Yamanaka clan. What a festive platter of personalities – I can't wait to have a taste of all of you."

Mimi twitched furiously before activating her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_. "Geez, what the heck are you?"

**Team Kakashi**

Hearing a loud explosion from far away, Team Kakashi continued walking through the forest cautiously. Sasuke remained completely silent while surveying the area as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Naruto warily began searching around, praying fervently for no ninjas to attack. Sakura on the other hand remained completely obsessed with the male Uchiha ninja. However, the pink haired kunoichi could not help but wonder what had happened to the loud explosion at the far southeast area of the forest. She bit her lower lip anxiously, praying for whoever may have been involved in the huge blast. Instead of feeling horrible however, a vision of the mischievous smirking trickster appeared in her imagination. Sakura shook it out immediately, silently yet fiercely berating herself.

_I only like Sasuke-kun! No, I love Sasuke-kun!_

However, the image of the coffee blonde teenager refused to leave her mind.

Sakura remained completely silent for a moment until Naruto began tapping her shoulder desperately. "Aww man! I need to pee!"

Completely aghast and abhorrent, Sakura backhanded Naruto onto the ground. "Well, don't do it in front of me!"

"But where do I go," the hyperactive blonde ninja started whining loudly, jumping up and down desperately. "I need to do it now!"

Sakura resisted the urge to slap him before venomously pointing behind the tree. "Just do it where I can't see you!"

For a few moments, Sakura sat down on one of the thicker roots protruding from the ground. Sasuke on the other hand leaned against the trunk, sighing and tapping his foot on the ground impatiently. A few seconds past as Sakura found her eyes straying towards Sasuke's seated form. However, as time began to pass – Naruto hadn't reappeared from his last bathroom session.

"Sasuke-_kun_, isn't Naruto taking a bit too long," she blinked several times, glancing up towards the sky.

"Sorry I took so long! But boy did that feel good!"

The two other ninja turned towards the source of the extremely cheery voice as they found Naruto coming back from his bathroom session. However, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the figure. His spine started tingling with a very nervous feeling as Naruto continued to advance towards them. The black haired Uchiha male continued to scan his other teammate's figure as he backed up a bit, drawing out a _kunai_. However, he slowly let down his guard for a minute before throwing himself forward for a strong punch which connected firmly with Naruto's jaw. The said hyperactive ninja, completely startled, staggered backwards before falling onto the ground.

Sakura stared, completely aghast and bewildered. "Sasuke-_kun_, I know Naruto took long but that doesn't give you any right to...!"

Ignoring Sakura's fretful state, Sasuke brandished his _kunai_ before narrowing his eyes into a steely gaze. "Take a look at him and tell me what's wrong."

Sakura stared at her friend for a moment, observing Naruto's appearance. The pink haired _kunoichi_ blinked several times until her eyes started growing wider when she backed up in horror.

"Naruto's shooter is supposed to be on his left side. He's left handed!"

Sasuke smirked darkly, eyeing the attacker suspiciously. "Yeah and not only that, the wound from the examiner's gone."

At first, silence overwhelmed them until Naruto suddenly started to maniacally laugh with a dark psychotic grin. "I'm surprised you found me out so easily. I guess this guy I borrowed the appearance of wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. But," –his disguise fell away, revealing the rain village symbol on his forehead guard. "It's your turn to die!"

Without any warning, the ninja launched himself at Sasuke who adeptly spun around for a roundhouse kick. The male Uchiha watched his opponent fly towards one of the willow trees as he prepared to connect another combination of blows. Dust flew in the air as Sasuke activated his _Sharingan_, feeling his body twitch in response. The current champion of _Konohagakure_ smirked as he found his body launching towards the cloud of smoke while connecting punches and kicks with the other male. Sakura found herself completely astonished and awestruck as Sasuke jumped high in the air before kicking his neck, sending him down towards the ground.

"Wow," Sakura gaped in astonishment, poking the fallen unconscious ninja. "You're really amazing, Sasuke-_kun_."

Sasuke ignored her comment before walking on forward. "We better find Naruto first. Who knows what kind of trouble he got himself involved with?"

**Team Kurenai**

Hinata on the other hand found herself following after her other teammates as they quietly began sauntering around. Kiba sighed before lazily placing his hands at the back of his head while Shino wordlessly strode next to them. The Hyuuga heiress found herself twiddling with her thumbs half the time as they walked towards the tower.

"Kiba-_kun_, are you sure we don't need to do much for this," Hinata shivered slightly from the wind rushing and the tension.

The Inuzuka clan member cast a questioning glance towards the Aburame male. "Yeah, what the heck are we doing here then, Shino?"

Shino however pointed up before sitting down on the ground. "All we have to do is let my bugs do the work..."

Fair enough, the two heard a scream from far away while watching leeches and hornets descend upon the unfortunate team. Hinata swallowed hard while Kiba shook his head fearfully.

_Never mess with Shino._

**Team Takagi**

"Crap, what is that guy," Mimi coughed out some dirt, crash landing against the cold clammy forest floor. "The fuck – that's completely insane! His power levels are way beyond a normal _Genin_s!"

Manyama immediately shook off the daze before watching the opponents carefully. She found her blank scrolls lying down next to her, along with her fallen dropped weapons. The black haired weapon specialist found herself completely stumped; where did the person actually gain the ability of anticipation as to where the trajectory of her weapons would go? Sure Gray and Mimi worked out that kink with her but somehow, she never found anyone else to put up a decent challenge when challenging her in a game of throwing weaponry. The _Kusagakure_ ninjas stood before them smugly, standing over their fallen states. Taichi hung loosely on a branch while Izumi remained plastered against the tree with a Boa Constrictor wrapping around her body. Gray on the other hand slumped down against a tree trunk, bloodied and bruised.

"Damn," Mimi gripped a ball of dirt in her hand, glaring holes. "How come they have that kind of power? They're not even _Genin_ from the looks of them!"

The leading _Kusagakure _ninja triumphantly stood in front of them with a serpentine smile, circling around them with a predatory glint. "So, which one should I start with first? Then again, you're a bit too strong for me to force into submission. I guess eliminating you entirely is a better option."

Gray felt numbness overwhelm his very being as his body refused to cooperate with him. His emerald orbs slowly lifted themselves to see the _Kusagakure_ ninjas standing before Mimi; one of them revealed a pair of reptile fangs as the ninja picked up the female Uchiha who dangled helplessly against the attacker's grip. His hand slowly lifted up as he continued staring at the _Kusagakure _ninja with hatred. His heart pumped wildly as the echoing fall of the water droplets thundered in his ears. A large adrenaline rush cracked throughout his agonized body, causing him to slowly submit to the darkness.

_There will be times that you will find yourself falling into a pit of True Despair._

Gray opened his eyes and found himself falling into the darkness, seeing a young woman with coffee blonde walking towards him. A small smile appeared on her lips as she grasped his hand, pressing her nude body against his. His emerald green eyes stared in awe as he found himself completely paralyzed by the woman's touch. He blinked several times as she brushed his hair away from his face with a motherly smile.

_If you cannot find the strength within yourself to defeat your adversary, exploit your own weakness. Make it... your strength!_

"_Iga Wa Ryou no Hyoketsu_," Gray muttered weakly, feeling a frosty feel in his hand. "_Soukyoka_!" (Iga Ice Technique; Ice Lance)

Ten ice lances appeared next to him as he closed his hand for a launching sequence. Unfortunately, the _Kusagakure_ ninjas found themselves completely caught off guard as the spears shot past him.

"Oh someone is still alive," the _Kusagakure_ ninja turned around with a serpentine smile on his face, seeing a trail of blood. "Quite innovative for a little brat."

Gray refused to grace him with a response, hurling two ice crystals towards the ground. "_Iga Wa Ryou no Hyoketsu; Joshohyouchuu_!" (Iga Ice Technique; Rising Ice Pillars)

From the water and blood on the ground, five ice pillars rushed up to cage the other team as Mimi and the others could only stare in astonishment as Gray managed to smirk despite his weakened state. His emerald green eyes continued to glimmer spitefully as Mimi managed to gather some of her senses before moving away from the battle scene. Watching Gray finally snap somewhat caused her to violently tremble until she heard a loud roar from above. She cast her eyes up as she found herself fearfully trembling and shuddering; Taichi howled a draconic cry before leaping up high into the air with his formerly goofy black eyes now changing into a fierce, reptilian and carnal emerald green colour. The sunlight slowly faded away from the forest grounds as it became dark and cold, chilling Mimi to the bone.

The navy blue haired draconic teenager leapt high into the air, inhaling a huge amount of earth, rock and pebbles. "_Chiryuugitai, Nadare Bousou_!" (Earth Dragon Mimicry, Avalanche Rampage)

Without any warning, Taichi unleashed a hurling tornado of dust and flying rock shards from his mouth. Manyama immediately jumped out of the way towards a clump of trees while slashing the Boa Constrictor in half, grabbing Izumi in the process. Mimi found herself completely paralyzed as she ignored the chain conveniently wrapped around her waist that dragged her to safety. Gray narrowed his eyes in deep concentration before curling his fingers into a fist.

"_Iga Ougi – Wandarando no Hamutsu_," Gray slammed his fist against the ground, causing the whole ice structure to transmogrify into huge tableaux: a rabbit, a man with a tall hat, a woman with hearts surrounding her and a huge caterpillar which formed together to create a huge gothic Lionel train. (Iga Special Ability; Wonderland's Bane)

"Wait, a rabbit," Manyama stared incredulously at the structure, blinking several times. "You gotta be kidding right?"

Mimi embraced herself with tears slowly slipping from her eyes, shuddering fearfully. "Gray would never use this technique... He promised _sensei_ and I...!"

Mimi, known also as the most ruthless of the team, slowly started cry as she forced back her broken sobs. In an attempt to comfort, Izumi embraced Mimi as the whole forest started tremble with snow raining from the heavens. Her lavender orbs widened with shock and horror as Taichi slowly started growing a pair of claws as his body started to undergo complete metamorphosis. His flesh burned away to reveal flaming sapphire scales with his navy blue hair becoming a long bright pale mane. The Hyuuga ninja remained completely silent as his eyes flickered similarly to that of the draconic male. As the light slowly faded, nobody remained except the two males of Team Takagi. Taichi's clothes took a drastic revamp as it lay in complete shreds and tatters. Gray's formerly cobalt coloured clothes now became burgundy with his blood as he remained slumped against the wall. The dragon's _jinchuuriki_ remained plastered on the ground, unconscious as the tension slowly relaxed.

"Who," Manyama coughed while trying stabilize her trembling body. "Who were they?"

Izumi immediately rushed over to Taichi, shaking him. "Hey, don't sleep on us now, Dragon breath! Hey – you better wake up!"

Mimi slowly sauntered over to her stepbrother, weakly shaking him. "G-Gray, please... You can't die on me... You possibly can't! What's gonna happen to me? Are you really going to leave me to deal with this insanity! Now I know what people mean when they say that they are only important after death... HYUUGA GRAY, YOU BETTER WAKE UP OR I WILL FUCKING KICK YOUR ASS," –she slowly lay crumpled on the ground, whimpering. "You're the only family I have next to _sensei_..."

Manyama curled her fingers into a fist as she averted her teary gaze from her companion's corpses.

A deathly silence wedged in between them as Mimi began slapping Gray's unconscious body and shaking him violently, searching for any possible response. Unfortunately, Taichi refused to show any vital signals either; no matter how many times the crimson haired Yamanaka _kunoichi_ shook him, screamed at him and probably let out the most electrifying wail in Konoha history.

"God, why are women gifted with such powerful vocal chords," the coffee blonde male groaned before facing the female Uchiha who stared at him with a mixture of sorrow, anger and possibly a hint of happiness. "Oh..."

"DON'T 'OH' ME, YOU IDIOT," Mimi slammed him on the ground before hugging him tightly. "THAT WAS THE WORST TRICK YOU EVER INVENTED! IF IZANAMI WERE HERE, I WOULD HAVE BURNED HER ASS, ASKED IZUMI TO HEAL HER ALL OVER AGAIN JUST SO I COULD GRILL AND CHARRED HER UNTIL SHE'S NOTHING BUT CHARCOAL! THE WHOLE CYCLE'S GOING TO FUCKING REPEAT UNTIL SHE RELENTS TO HAVE YOU BACK HERE IN THE WORLD OF THE LIVING!"

Gray, chuckling humourlessly, affectionately patted his younger stepsister on the head. "Geez, I think the whole Konoha heard you..."

Taichi yawned groggily, smacking his lips. "Hey, what time is it?"

Without any warning, Izumi crash glomped him and began sobbing on top of him. Manyama found herself unable to move as she tackled Taichi and Gray to the ground, earning her a loud 'ow' from both boys. The girls continued to sob and Mimi probably thrashed Gray a few times with her punches, straight to his ribs.

"Hey, I don't remember being dead," Taichi stared quizzically at the normally shrill Yamanaka female, turning to the injured Hyuuga. "Hey Eskimo, mind filling me on the episode I just missed?"

Gray shrugged nonchalantly, chuckling bitterly. "Whatever it was, it was probably good enough to send anyone on an emotional rollercoaster ride."

However, the Hyuuga teen could not help but ponder.

_Who was that man? What was he after? And most of all – who was the woman in his dreams?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 13! I hope you like it! Please don't forget to review so I'll be able to update soon!**


	14. Sealed Madness

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own my OCs and their Jutsu except some of the ice element ones. I borrowed some from Brave 10's Anastasia!**

Chapter 14 – Sealed Madness

**Team Kakashi**

Sasuke and Sakura quietly looked around, warily watching everything around them. The forest remained deadly silent as they managed to walk through the greenery without any hostilities coming after them. The black haired Uchiha shivered slightly as the wind licked against his skin, watching the leaves slowly fall from the higher trees swaying above them. The birds crowed throughout the sunny skies as small pools of sunbeams shone through the trees.

"Where could Naruto be," Sakura shivered slightly as the leaves started to rustle around her. "He couldn't have gone very far, could he?"

Sasuke smirked deviously, increasing his pace a bit. "Not on a full bladder he couldn't have. Naruto's infamous for his lack of bladder control."

_I heard a loud explosion awhile ago. Not only that, since when did Konoha begin to snow?_

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance while continuing to walk along the forest path. However, the air slowly began to thicken darkly with malice. The male Uchiha stopped in his tracks as he began surveying around with Sakura trailing right behind him.

"Sasuke-_kun_," she inquired fearfully, feeling her lips quiver at the tension of the air. "What's going on?"

Sasuke refused to respond until something from the bushes began to rustle around. The male Uchiha brandished his _kunai_ right away before pitching it straight at the bushes, earning a loud 'ow' from it. Twitching furiously, Sasuke stormed towards the bushes before dragging out a familiar hyperactive blonde ninja from the midst of it with the _kunai_ zipping past his other cheek. Naruto rubbed both his wounds before grabbing Sasuke's shirt.

"The heck was that for _teme_," Naruto snorted in annoyance, meeting Sasuke's intense glare. "Now I have another set of whiskers!"

Sasuke bumped Naruto's forehead guard with his own. "You bloody dumbass, you're the one who's making things so suspicious!"

Soon, the three sat down on the ground pondering on their next move. With Naruto back in place, Sasuke thought deeply on the first encounter as it took on the appearance of Naruto. The male Uchiha however attempted to find ways to distinguish his teammates without making anything too complicated for Naruto to comprehend. He mentally slapped himself; knowing Naruto, he would forget exactly whatever they told him to do in order for distinguishing one another.

_Wait a minute..._

A smirk slowly formed on Sasuke's lips as he snapped his fingers in realization, walking towards his other teammates. "We're going to have to make a password."

**Team Takagi**

As Izumi continued bandaging some of Taichi's wounds, Mimi maintained watch while Manyama managed to fix up whatever Gray managed to sustain. The female Uchiha narrowed her eyes upon their first encounter. The _Genin_ back there clearly had more power than normal and even the fighting skill proved way beyond their formal _Jounin_-level opponents. She glanced at her bandaged wrist, remembering the crushing force of the man's hand. She flinched at the memory before slumping down to the ground, checking on the others.

"Fucking hell, where did he come from," Mimi slammed her fist against the thick trunk of the willow tree, snarling in disgust. "He just toyed around with us as if we're just a bloody fucking appetizer!"

Gray scowled darkly at the thought, glancing at his bloodied hand. "Hn, we're lucky to have even made it alive."

"Don't do that," Mimi snorted disgustedly at Gray, slapping his cheek lightly. "You're gonna sound like Sasu-gay when he's trying to be fucking intelligent."

"Gray has a point and stop insulting Sasuke-_kun_. Actually," Izumi bit her lower lip anxiously. "The ninjas somewhat panicked the moment Taichi and Gray started going berserk. But, I completely understand that part. Taichi started howling and snarling for human meat and Gray heartlessly crushed him with this huge ice _kabam_ and the guy had the expression of "Holy God". Not only that, Gray dismissed the total usage of hand-seals and said something like "_Iga Wa Ryou no Hyoketsu" _and then Taichi just became completely draconic and prepared to eat the other guys by swallowing them whole. He even grew a mane back there!"

Gray glanced at his bloodied palm, desperately trying to recall anything to no avail. "_Iga Wa Ryou... no... Hyouketsu?_"

Taichi blinked several times, staring disbelievingly. "I... went... cannibalistic? I didn't eat anyone, did I?"

"Considering you're more reptile than human then it's not really called "cannibalism"," Mimi chuckled lightly, shrugging her shoulders. "And no, you didn't eat anybody for lunch but that would have been extremely helpful. Then again, these people were kind of strange. They didn't show much humanity in them either with the way they threw us around."

_Flashback_

"I am simply a _Genin_ passing by," the _Kusagakure_ ninja leader smiled slowly, advancing forward. "Then again – this is the _Chuunin_ exam. We're here to get promoted after all..."

"Like hell I'm gonna believe that kind of bullshit," Mimi performed a set of seals, inhaling deeply. "_Katon; Shun En Yougeki_!" (Fire Element; Flash Fire Assault)

Multiple fire bullets sprayed out of her mouth with insane speed as it flew to the ground, creating a huge wildfire. The female Uchiha smirked in triumph until a huge wind blasted the fire away, sending her against the tree. The other ninjas standing next to the leader didn't even budge an inch and continued waiting for their leader's commands. Manyama stared in shock as Gray and Taichi prepared to step up the attack while covering their eyes to prevent the debris from hitting their eyes.

"Mimi," Izumi rushed to her side only to feel something grab her, resulting to her in nearly being thrown forward. "What the heck-?"

"_Ninpo; Hebi no Haaku_," –a huge snake sprung out from the dust clouds before clamping its jaws onto Izumi's body and slamming her against the willow tree, rendering her unconscious. (Ninja Technique, Serpent's Grasp)

Manyama whirled her _kusari-gama _around, glaring angrily. "You bastard...!"

The _Kusagakure _ninja shrugged uncaringly before striding around nonchalantly, smiling sardonically. "Oh my, seems like you saw too much already. You all will have to die now..."

Gray, without wasting any time, launched forward with water covering up his hand and freezing it into a hard blade. "_Hyouton; Tousou Ittou no Jutsu_! (Ice Element; Frostbite Blade)_"_

The _Kusagakure_ ninja smiled in amusement as he easily dodged Gray's attempts to freeze him, sidestepping and swaying mockingly several times before spinning around before kicking Gray straight in the ribs. Taichi however parried the blow as his flesh immediately hardened into scales, allowing him to launch Gray to perform his famous bicycle kick. The _Kusagakure_ ninja staggered back as Gray's attack collided with his jaw, prompting the other two ninjas to move in. Manyama snaked her whirling chain scythe as it wrapped around the attacking comrade before the _Kusagakure_ ninja's comrade suddenly exploded right in front of her, sending her all the way against the other trees. Mimi rushed past the flying Manyama before landing a kick on another one before climbing up and supposedly snapping his neck only to have him grab her by her left wrist before hanging her above the ground. His grip slowly tightened around the Uchiha _kunoichi_'s wrist prompting a slight whine as he slammed her mercilessly against the ground multiple times only to throw her up into the air to hang her on one of the trees.

"Damn," Taichi rushed forward only to be blown away again as a huge serpent launched itself at him to devour him. "Gray...!"

The Hyuuga coffee blonde male on the other hand found his blow countered each and every time despite his _Byakuggan_ running and watching the flow of _chakra_. Gray threw a few punches that the _Kusagakure_ mindlessly flicked away before grabbing one of his arms and twisting it behind him. Gray despite that however contorted his own body to kick the man away, creating a distance between the two of them. The serpentine man however showed no sense of anger only a slow serene yet sadistic smile as he suddenly melted into a puddle of mud. The Hyuuga ninja's eyes widened until he felt something impale him. Looking behind him, he found the serpentine man holding a long _katana_ straight through his abdomen with his dark grin.

"You must be the leader no," he whispered seductively into Gray's ear, causing the said boy to shiver in terror. "I wonder what happens... No, knowing what your body can do is more interesting..."

His tongue slithered around Gray's earlobe and neck, causing the Hyuuga male to recklessly push the man away despite the agonizing pain in his abdomen. Blood splashed against the floor until the sword shot through both his palms and feet, crucifying him on the ground. Taichi rushed over to help him only to have the man punch him straight through his body, causing the navy bluenette to actually spit out blood. Manyama stared in horror as she watched her cousin draw out blood; no one has ever made the navy bluenette draw blood and not even the sharpest blade could cut through him and this guy made short work of him.

"Argh," Gray coughed up a bit of blood, wincing at the pain. _Damn, what is this...?_

The serpentine man chuckled as his disguise slowly unveiled, revealing an extremely pale skinned man with bright amber serpentine eyes. "You should know who I am, boy. After all, what can you insignificant and normal _Genin_ do against a legendary _sannin_ such as me?"

Gray managed to glare venomously, struggling against the deeply impaled blades as the man stood on top of his body. "What exactly do you want with the village? What brings a forked bastard like you in here, Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru chuckled in amusement before slamming his foot against Gray's right arm. "Hahaha, you did a bit of research or so it seems. It is not the village I want. I've been seeking candidates to gain more power. This body cannot contain all the power I desire. You see, I've been scouting lately and you were quite the eye-catcher. A body with two dominant clan abilities, it's such a rare catch. Your female friend also – the Uchiha girl proved to be even more interesting and amusing than Itachi. He although mastered _Sharingan_ early, so did she. But what surprised me the most is that her method of attaining her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ – she never told you did she? Regarding how she acquired her eyes?"

Gray bit his lower lip with a glacial glare, glancing at his other unconscious or paralysed teammates. "She did. But what makes you think I'm going to tell you the true origins of her _Mangenkyou Sharingan? _I know everything about her, inside out and vice versa."

Orochimaru roared with a haughty laughter before stomping hard on Gray's ribs, savouring the sickening crack that came from it. "Good, that gives me an easier time negotiating with you little brats. You hand over yourselves to me. After all, in order to gain a body – that body must have experienced the darkest experience of their lives. Itachi-_kun_ certainly pulled off an entertaining show; Sasori did too in the Wave Country. According to him, you unleashed a darker state of vengeance than any _Kirigakure_ inheritor he had ever met. But since Itachi and your little friend are a bit too defiant and you seem to be a bit too strong-willed despite the trauma, I'll have to go for someone whose desires align with mine."

_Sasori_, Gray bit his lower lip, keeping the name in mind. _He must've been the guy back then... The man...!_

Orochimaru punched the sword deeper into his palm as he grinned darkly, leaning closer and left a few inches between him and Gray's face. "Well then, put a nice entertaining show for your friends. It would be sad if they aren't able to spend your last moments with you. This is what people call 'True Despair'!"

Without any warning, Orochimaru's tongue extended with the sharpness of a blade and plunged straight into his abdomen. Gray grit his teeth immediately as blood splattered against his face, forcing himself to ignore the disgusting feeling of having someone's tongue explore his internal structure. He refused to howl in agonizing pain, knowing what Mimi and Taichi were capable of when thrown into a huge emotional turmoil. The Hyuuga male gnashed his teeth to prevent any noise to escape as Orochimaru began stabbing his insides repeatedly.

"Bastard," Mimi winced at she fell down from the higher branches, struggling to stand up only for her right wrist to give out. "Stop...!"

Taichi narrowed his eyes venomously as he watched his friend get tortured helplessly, crushing the stones in his hand. "Hyuuga...!"

_Flashback End_

Gray found himself staring at his bloodied hands before tracing the broken bones in his ribs. The coffee blonde Hyuuga exhaled in relief, knowing he could at least walk all the way to the next part of the test. He simply prayed that the next one wouldn't be as physically taxing as their first encounter. Gray cringed at the memory of being stabbed as the disgusting feeling of having Orochimaru go after him initially resounded off in his mind. Mimi slung his arm over her shoulder, bringing him along.

"You sure you can manage a fight? We haven't even gotten our partner scroll yet," Mimi scanned Gray's current condition, flinching at the sight. "You don't look like you're in any condition to fight."

"Neither are you," he chuckled deviously, managing to stand up despite the aching pain in his rib cage. "How's Salamander by the way?"

The female Uchiha pointed behind her, shrugging indecisively. "I'm not sure. He took a healthy hit from that guy too. Among all the people we've faced, Orochi-whatever his name is was the first one to punch a hole through Taichi and make him vomit blood. You're more understandable; you're fucking squishy but not enough to have him plunge his tongue straight through your skin and swim through your internal organs. Not only that, there's that thing when we were back at the village...It was that music... where did it come from?"

Gray shook his head with a dark meditative stare, watching the leaves rustle noisily. He rested his body against a tree trunk before hobbling after Mimi. Taichi managed to heal up properly but Gray knew the only way that was possible was the unlimited amount of _chakra_ living in his body. Izumi managed to use her knowledge in botany to temporarily mend some of his injuries but the sickening crack from Orochimaru's attempt to smash his ribcage in still echoed in his ears. He shuddered violently; what exactly did Orochimaru want with the village? But that wasn't the only question egging him...

_That woman... The blonde woman in my trance... Who was that?_

The most shocking part for him would be the uncanny resemblance of the woman's eyes and his own. Both of them had some teal to emerald like shade for their eyes and her words slowly rolled out of his mouth like it was nothing. Techniques flew everywhere and including the one he invented through his own berserk fury: the _Wandarando no Hamutsu _(Wonderland's Bane). As he let out a dejected sigh to himself, a loud howl echoed into the air. All five members jerked their heads up, glancing and looking around for the source.

"That definitely sounded like Sasuke-_kun_," Izumi swallowed hard, helping Taichi up. "We have to find him!"

Mimi shook her head disdainfully, folding her arms defiantly. "You mad? I'm not helping the dickhead! Besides, Gray and Taichi are down! What makes you think we can fight that snake dude again?"

Manyama proposed cheerfully, imagining the scenario in her head. "At least we'll be more in number."

"That doesn't necessarily level up our fighting skill in comparison to that snake dude," Mimi wanted to head-wall but firmly decided against it. "The probability of us dying's gonna be higher since now he knows what we're capable of! Another thing to consider, we're not at full power! Secondly, did you see what he could do even without his lackeys helping him? He made us look like shit out there!"

Gray bit his lower lip anxiously but decided against his fear by standing up more erect. "We have to go help them. Takagi-_sensei_ mentioned how Kakashi-_sensei_ worked hard to get us in the exam. It would be a bad code of ethics if we left them despite all the help Kakashi-_sensei_ gave us. Secondly, don't you want another chance to obliterate this guy since he humiliated you as an Uchiha _kunoichi_?Put aside your vengeance for now. After that, I'll help you murder him if you like."

Mimi's annoyed snort slowly became a huge grin upon Gray's bargain. "Now you're talking my language."

"It's the law of Equivalent Exchange," Gray shrugged nonchalantly before springing up towards one of the branches. "Better start moving. Who knows what kind of trouble they're in?"

**Team Kakashi**

Sasuke found himself completely paralysed as his body refused to move. Naruto hung limply on the branch, completely unconscious as Sakura remained frozen on the ground as well. Terror shot through him as the ninja maliciously walked towards them even after fighting them with a huge summoning technique. The male Uchiha found himself completely stupefied as to how a _Genin_ was capable of a summoning technique – especially one of huge man-eating size. Flashes of the battle appeared on his mind as he recalled how Naruto punched him in the face, thinking he would never give up. Naruto may have been brainless but he did have a point. But their opponent proved to be beyond their capabilities and even made them pale in comparison. The other teams would have fallen to this guy as well and to make things worse – they had the necessary scroll.

Sasuke bit his lower lip, wildly pondering in a panic. _How did a Genin do that? Not only that Half-Hyuuga guy is so strong but so's this guy! Am I really... that weak?_

The snake launched at him a few moments ago, striking fear straight into him. The worst part came when it only hounded him with its sense of smell, rampaging through the trees and lashing out its huge tail. Despite flinging a few _kunai_ at it, Sasuke knew deep down how futile it was to fight something at that calibre. Naruto got himself punched in the abdomen as flew all the way towards the branches. Sakura, despite being completely ignored, found herself caught up in the _Kanashibari_ _no Jutsu_ (Temporary Paralysis Technique).

"Now's the time," Orochimaru grinned malevolently as his whole neck suddenly shot up into the air and bit a paralysed Sasuke.

With that, Sasuke let out an agonized howl before falling unto the ground. A searing hot pain shot up his body as it completely threw him down on the ground, terrifying Sakura.

"It hurts," Sasuke bit his lower lip to resist before finally submitting to the agony. "IT HURTS!"

"It seems he was an easier prey compared to my first two candidates," Orochimaru walked around, dispelling the _Kanashibari no Jutsu_. "The other two definitely put up a bigger fight. Sasuke-_kun_ had fear seize him completely while the other two used it to propel them forward. I hate strong-willed people like that; the Uchiha girl and the ice boy would have given me a bigger headache had I stayed longer."

Sakura swallowed hard, pondering on the possible candidates. _Did he just refer to Mimi and Gray back there?_

"The draconic one seemed interesting as well but fighting with the _bijuu_ is such a chore," Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively, glancing up at Naruto. "It's not easy to find a body with the specific characteristics you want, you know. For now, I will leave it to Sasuke-_kun_ to decide. After all, power is something that made him go so far to survive, ne – Sakura-_chan_?"

As Orochimaru vanished amongst the clump of trees, Sakura trembled violently while trying to gather up her unconscious teammates, Naruto and Sasuke. She found herself angry not at the man who savagely bit Sasuke but at herself, knowing she was nothing. From all the times they have spent together, their missions always involved her staying back and not getting a scratch while Naruto and Sasuke did most of the beat up work. During their mission in the Wave Country, Gray undertook the task with such professionalism that she found herself flabbergasted by his combat style and his strategies and Sasuke fought toe-to-toe with a Chasing Ninja. Naruto clearly out-powered the opponent with his overwhelming _chakra_ and inspired many for reinforcements but...

What did she have?

The pink haired _kunoichi_ hauled Sasuke onto her shoulder while jumping up to go grab Naruto. With Sasuke convulsing horribly, Sakura slung Naruto's arm over her shoulder before finding a huge tree trunk to hide in with the others by the roots. Sasuke's bone-chilling howls of agony finally quieted down as Sakura sadly tried to treat them to the best of her ability. Naruto showed no signs of consciousness either as she tended to both of them. Her light green eyes glanced sadly at the bodies of both of her fallen teammates. However, her fatigue caused her to submit as her eyes slowly shut for a few moments.

(Dream)

The forest remained completely the same as she continued nursing her friends back to health. The birds continued to chirp in the sky as the sunbeams shone through the wide web of trees entangled with one another's branches. The forest greenery glinted with dew as the cooing and sounds of animals echoed throughout the forest.

"Hey...Sakura..."

Jolted by the voice, Sakura slowly began to cry out of relief. "Sasuke-kun? You're alright! You too, Naruto!"

Naruto massaged his temples before shaking the daze off. "What happened?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Never mind that, we need to concentrate on the exam."

Before Sakura could open her mouth and let out her voice, there was no sound at all, it was as if, they took it out. Her bright green eyes widened fearfully as she began trying to conclude for the reason that her voice is missing.

"My voice-? What happened to it?"

When she looked behind her, a huge man-eating snake slithered past her and dislodged its jaws. Sakura's eyes widened with horror as she stared helplessly at the huge snake that slowly and predatorily slithered its way towards Sasuke, posing to strike. No matter how hard she tried to scream, nothing came out of her throat. A maniacal predatory smile appeared on the snake's lips as it swivelled its body around to strike.

She forcibly made herself scream, grabbing her neck as she did so. "SASUKE-KUN! LOOK OUT!"

(End of Dream)

Sakura jolted up in terror, sweat pouring down her face. She glanced around to see nothing, only her two unconscious teammates. For a moment there, the pink _kunoichi_ truly believed there was a snake ready to devour her teammates. She shook her head dismissively at the scenario; it was not going to happen. However, the rustling of the bushes did not do anything to soothe her fear as she panic-stricken threw a _kunai_ at it.

"Get away!"

From the bushes, a squirrel popped out and immediately dashed out heading towards the other end of the forest. Sakura inhaled sharply for a few moments, trying to calm herself to no success. The forest resumed to its normal deadly silence as only the breathing of both her teammates reached her ears.

However, she was not alone.

Behind the bushes, three ninjas stood within the shadows. A sinister smile appeared on one of their faces as the squirrel darted beneath them, squealing fearfully from the _kunai_. Among them, a female stood with long black hair in a camouflage suit along with two of her partners: one with a bandaged face and the other with tall jagged hair.

"You think she saw it," the female sneered darkly, sardonically watching the little rodent with an explosive tag on its back run.

The bandaged male shook his head dejectedly. "No, I don't think so. More like she was just afraid that an opponent may be behind the bushes. We cannot be too sure however."

Snorting in disgust, the male with tall jagged hair shrugged nonchalantly. "Why don't we just swoop them and take her out easy peasy? The Uchiha's out like a light after all."

The bandaged male graced his companion with no response as he narrowed his eyes at the fallen Sasuke.

_It seems you have taken him out yourself, Orochimaru._

**Team Takagi**

"Who knew looking for Naruto and his other two numbskulls was gonna earn us a scroll," Mimi giggled gleefully while tossing the two scrolls around, hand in hand.

Taichi nodded enthusiastically, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah although, I'm bushed. You think we can go straight to the fortress after this? I want a floor I can sleep in where I don't need to worry about cockroaches crawling up my shirt. Even if I'm a guy, the feeling of crawling bugs is sick!"

Gray chuckled lightly, brushing the leaves away. "You can say that again."

Mimi glanced around for a few moments until she saw Rock Lee standing on a tree. "Hey, what's he doing?"

The whole Team Takagi directed their attention towards the green-jumpsuit ninja as he watched the leaves fall. He punched his chest in determination, nodding vigorously.

"I have to get all those fifteen leaves! That way, Sakura-_chan_ will be impressed and go out with me!"

They all sweatdropped at his proclamation as his declaration seemed to be targeted towards no one other than himself. His loud voice only had been carried away by the forest wind as the bugs clicked and tinkered in the darkness. However, Taichi hid amongst the bushes as he suddenly became curious as to how someone like him can catch all the falling leaves. He glanced at the Hyuuga ninja while estimating the speed, recalling the _Hakke Rokujyon Sho_ technique (Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms).

"Hey snowman, think you can do something like that," Taichi nudged his coffee blonde companion as they both hid in the bushes. "Twenty yen says he can't do it."

Gray smirked while folding his arms. "Catching all those leaves is a piece of cake. But for someone like Lee, I'd double that and say that he can."

Fair enough, Rock Lee leapt off the highest branch before descending down to catch all the leaves within his range. Team Takagi stared in amazement as his hand shot out easily and grabbed each and every one of the falling greenery until a squirrel appeared in his path. Grabbing the leaf at the same time as to contorting his entire body, Lee immediately somersaulted to alter his position before grabbing the explosive tag off its back.

"Hmmm, who would do this to such a poor creature," he stroked the furry creatures back as it chattered with much affection and gratitude, gently nudging it away. "There, there, you better run along now. It's going to get dangerous around here."

Gray chuckled lightly, walking away triumphantly. "You owe me forty bucks."

Taichi snorted in defeat, shoving his hands in his pocket. "Che, you knew!"

"Of course," Gray gave him his usual Trickster smirk with his usual devious drawl, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm a devilishly fortunate hustler."

Mimi rolled her eyes sarcastically with an indignant huff. "There he goes again."

"You stupid little bitch!"

The five ninjas swivelled their heads towards the loud direction of the yelling. Glancing at the others, Izumi noticed a nod coming from all four of them. She bit her lower lip anxiously while following after her teammates. Their first encounter with the _Kusagakure_ ninja nearly had them killed if not for Gray and Taichi's berserk fury. Despite their bandaged and injured states, they had to be strong. Faltering during the exam could mean their deaths however...

She couldn't help but feel scared for what lay ahead of them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's the revised chapter of Chapter 14! Please review!**


	15. Rage of the Uchiha

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 15 - Rage of the Uchiha

**Team Kakashi**

Sakura found herself completely overpowered by the ambush pulled off by the Sound Ninjas. Their eyes pierced her coldly as they brandished blades and weapons in her face. The pink haired _kunoichi_ trembled fearfully before glancing at an unconscious Naruto and Sasuke. She bit her lower lip anxiously; slowly rising to her feet as fear nearly seized her. She had no other choice, if anything - Sakura knew the blatant truth about their capabilities: she never worked as hard as Naruto or Sasuke. They have been doing all the grunt work while she stood by the sidelines, cheering them on. Lowering her head, the pink haired _kunoichi_ knew she had to stand up and fight. Although fighting three _Genin_ in their top condition was considered suicide in her situation, she knew Naruto and Sasuke would have done the same thing if they were in her position. Even though the two of them fight like immature children, Sakura knew they would never give up.

_I have to fight._

Tears fell from her eyes as she held her _kunai_ tightly, feeling the iron grip of the Sound _kunoichi_ on her hair. It was her pride or the lives of the people she valued. One way or another, it was obvious what outweighed the other. She remembered the other team she had gone with. They clearly valued one another; Mimi despite her foul mouth and dark demeanour clearly cared for the Yamanaka female who constantly annoyed her. Gray despite his mischievousness became fiercely protective of his stepsister and his other teammates even going as far as to fighting an ANBU solo who clearly had more experience and power than he had. Taichi, despite being a _jinchuuriki_, held the same hyperactive and somewhat loveable disposition like Naruto and showed no hesitance or reluctance to save Gray from the swirling vortex of _chakra_. Manyama would calm them down and chide them like a mother would, keeping them all in tow. They were _nakama_; without any blood relation to one another. If anything, their bond was stronger than anything else she had ever seen. Sakura knew the sacrifices they have made for one another and now, it was her turn to do the same for her own teammates.

_Here goes nothing!_

The _Otogakure kunoichi_, Kin grinned sardonically before yanking Sakura further off the ground by her hair. "You know, your hair's so glossy. Instead of beautifying yourself, you should train more often!"

However, Sakura bit her lower lip angrily before slashing off a huge portion of her hair. Kin staggered backwards with the other ninjas preparing themselves for a skirmish as Sakura immediately kicked the dark haired girl backwards. The other two of her teammates rushed in to confront her as she vanished with a sequence of _Kawirimi no Jutsu_. She leapt high into the air with astonishing kick straight into Kin's face as the young girl stumbled back.

"Damn it, Kinuta, Zaku - don't just stand there," Kin screeched before throwing another _kunai_ desperately at Sakura who instantly disappeared. "Help me!"

Zaku chuckled while raking his spiky black hair, throwing a glance above before throwing multiple _kunai_. "Keh, she should be easy! You just gotta know where to look!"

Sakura immediately dodged it before throwing another punch, only to get kicked in the stomach. She didn't falter however until another attack came flying her way to which she responded with another _Kawirimi no Jutsu_. Kinuta spun around with a punch before Sakura completely evaded it, punching him straight in the face. She vanished again with Zaku leaping towards her direction with a barrage of _kunai_. Instead of vanishing, Sakura shielded her face before launching herself straight at Zaku before biting his arm and pinning him down to the ground. Earning her a loud howl, Sakura refused to let go despite him beating her head over and over again.

"You little bitch," Zaku repeatedly struck her until a wave of thorns struck him down, causing Sakura to stare in awe. "What the fuck…?"

In front of him, Izumi whirled around her whip before glaring angrily at him. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, you asshole. You're lucky that I'm in a good mood today so I will be making your defeat quick and painless. If it were up to Mimi, she'll burn you slowly and painfully until you beg for Death like you never had."

Zaku hissed darkly, raising his arms. "I'm gonna make sure you shut up and die, bitch!"

A large gust of air zoomed towards her until a huge stone wall stood in front of Izumi. The sound ninja stared in horror as a navy bluenette ninja leapt down before punching a wave of boulders straight at him. Zaku immediately leapt out of the way as Kinuta effortlessly shattered the boulders. Sakura stared in astonishment as a familiar green jumpsuit wearing male dropped from the sky and punched Kinuta with a mean left hook to the jaw.

"Sakura-_chan_, are you alright," Lee grinned goofily. "Don't worry about them, I'll handle it."

A salty crystalline slowly began to form in her eyes as she shuddered with mixed emotions bubbling within her. She weakly smiled until several needles flew towards her. The pink haired _kunoichi _froze fearfully until a coffee blonde blur flashed before her eyes as all the needles didn't even reach her. Small lines of silver clattered and clinked on to the ground as _Konohagakure_'s Trickster smirked lightly with his emerald green eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Sorry for the late entrance," the Trickster drawled with his mischievous smirk. "If it were Sasuke, I would have let him take a few shots. But for you, I guess I can have some exceptions to the rule."

Sakura could not help but blush until a huge fireball screamed from the air, raining right in front of the two of them. Mimi leapt from behind the trees before kicking Zaku away with a disgusted snort.

"Geez Gray, you're horrible in being a flirt," Mimi rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Stick to beating the shit out of these guys with pure psychological warfare!"

Gray shrugged nonchalantly before gracing her with a devious smirk. "Sorry Haruno-san, I have to go help Mimi now."

Sakura stared in awe as Rock Lee and Team Takagi easily started crushing the _Otogakure_ ninjas. Taichi swung two stone fists before narrowly missing Zaku as a blast of sound barely sent him flying. Manyama zoomed past Taichi with her whirling weaponry while snaking her chain scythe towards Kin whereas Izumi leapt high into the air and unleashed a wave of aconites towards the female contender. Kinuta slammed his sound vibrator against Mimi's arm but forcibly jumped away when Gray's _Byakuggan _activated with his palm glowing with _chakra_. He launched himself past Mimi as his palm collided straight into Kinuta's arm band. Despite the armour, Kinuta staggered back with his arm hanging limply from his body with his eyes widening in shock.

"What did you do," he seethed as Gray created a distance between him and the heavily injured Team Seven.

Gray chuckled darkly with his emerald eyes glinting deviously. "Oh just a few modifications here and there - although, don't expect your arm to obey you for a few hours."

Kinuta struggled to lift his arm in vain only to have Mimi rain in from above and kick him hard into the ground. Zaku found himself defending from Lee's attacks until two huge stone walls appeared and clapped against one another before prompting Zaku to stagger backwards with Izumi lashing out her thorn whip at both him and Kin. Manyama hurled her chain scythe towards them before snaking it around and leaping off the tree trunks for better propulsion. Sakura stared in awe as Rock Lee instantly made short work of a slightly handicapped Kinuta until Kin suddenly stopped moving.

"You guys better step away from billboard brow or this girl gets it," Kin grinned darkly as Sakura's eyes widened in astonishment.

_Was that Ino?_

From behind a sneering Kin, Shikamaru slid his shadows over to Kinuta and had him completely stop moving whereas Chouji steamrolled Zaku. Ino grinned through Kin's body while watching Sakura stagger and stare at the eight ninjas that decided to lend some help. Seeing that they were severely overpowered and outnumbered, the sound ninjas immediately sprang out of the way as they made their way towards Sasuke's unconscious body. However, a huge black flame suddenly covered him as Mimi grinned evilly. All the insects seemed to have died and all the tension had seemingly risen as a huge black flame and evil aura enveloped the Uchiha female. Both her eyes gleamed crimson as an eight rayed sun spun around in her eye.

"You know, I would have preferred burning him into cinders but," the female Uchiha _kunoichi_ cast them a withering glance along with a sardonic grin. "I think I'll start with appetizers first!"

A huge jet black flame howled angrily before rushing towards the sound ninjas until a bigger purple dark aura started glowing behind her. Everyone immediately stopped as Gray grabbed Mimi out of the way as everything around them began to burn and wilt. Trees started crumbling as the vines were reduced into dust while Sasuke continued walking on forward with a maniacal grin slowly curved up his lips. Sakura stared in horror as more black markings swarmed over Sasuke as he advanced menacingly towards the sound ninjas.

"Who," Sasuke hissed venomously as his fist curled tightly until his knuckles were white. "Who did this to you, Sakura?"

The pink haired _kunoichi_ grew afraid to say anything as tears started to spill out of her eyes. "S-Sasuke-_kun_... You're okay..."

Zaku pointed to himself arrogantly. "It was me, dweeb. What's your problem?"

Instead of an angry glare, Sasuke cast a devilish psychotic grin as he vanished from their line of sight. Zaku shivered slightly as he started glancing around fearfully. The other two warily glance around until a huge rain of fireballs descended towards him. Zaku slammed his hands together before unleashing a huge vacuum wave only to reveal hidden _shurikens_ flying towards him. With his other hand, Zaku slapped them away until Sasuke stomped straight onto his back and sent him kissing the dirt.

"I see you're really proud of your arms," Sasuke chuckled demonically before stretching Zaku's arms back. "Perhaps I should add a little more adjustment so there's more pride to it!"

With a single yank, Sasuke dislocated Zaku's arm before flinging him aside. Everyone stared in shock as Zaku howled in agony before Gray and Taichi moved the others towards Sakura for a defensive strategy. Perceiving them as a threat, Sasuke lunged at Team Takagi but not without grabbing Kinuta and hurling him towards Taichi. The navy bluenette ninja jumped into the air to narrowly avoid Kinuta but Sasuke grabbed Taichi by the hair and slammed him straight into the ground. Taichi managed to wrench off Sasuke's grip while trying to punch him only to have Sasuke's leg collide against his jaw and sending the dragon sprawling unto the ground.

"Stupid bastard, he can't even distinguish who the hell's helping him," Mimi increased the speed of her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ until Sasuke appeared behind her and slammed his fist straight to the side of Mimi's head. "What the...?"

Mimi collapsed to the ground while Gray created an ice shield over his fallen teammates until Sasuke rushed through it with blazing chakra before planting a foot straight into the area where Orochimaru stabbed him. Manyama flung her chain sickle for restraint only to have Sasuke snap it with sheer brute force and _chakra_. He yanked Manyama using her chain and hurled her towards Gray, sending them both against Kin and the tree. Sakura slumped onto the ground in horror as Sasuke let out a berserker-like laughter. Izumi waited for the pain but Sasuke completely avoided her as he continued bashing the other team.

_It's as if I wasn't even reflected in his eyes._

Izumi swallowed hard as tears started to fall down her face. She never had seen Sasuke overwhelmed by his own power and now with the others completely out of commission, the Yamanaka female launched herself at Sasuke after throwing a whole flash of petals. The male Uchiha staggered back as she performed a set of seals.

"_Yamanaka no Hijutsu: Ibarahime no Fujoboukou,_" Izumi swallowed hard as a huge set of brambles and briar thorns curled around Sasuke. (Yamanaka Secret Technique; Rape of the Thorn Princess)

As he struggled to get out, the thorns continued to crush him while draining out his _chakra_. Thorns cut into his skin as his formerly blue shirt slowly stained itself with burgundy red blood. Sasuke struggled and hissed angrily with a snake-like glare only to have the thorns crush him even more. Izumi averted her eyes away as tears began to fall; the technique would strengthen the more he fed it with _chakra_ and currently - Sasuke unleashed a stronger wave of _chakra_ as the brambles started to grow thicker and sharper. His body hung limply soon despite his constant wriggling until Sakura threw her arms around Sasuke despite the thorns.

"Sasuke-_kun_, come back - please," Sakura hugged him tightly despite the thorns cutting into her own skin. "Stop, Sasuke-_kun_! We're all okay!"

Izumi slapped her own forehead, rushing towards the two of them to pry Sakura away. "Haruno, you idiot! Get away from those thorns, your _chakra_'s going to get sapped out too!"

However, much to her surprise - the brambles slowly shrank as Sasuke stood in front of them in his bloodied state but completely dazed. The black spots slowly faded as he collapsed into Sakura's arms, not understanding where he was. Sakura, seeing there was no longer any hostilities, weakly fell to the ground as the sound ninja realized how overpowered they were compared to then. The tides had turned against them completely as Kinuta, trembling, pulled out the scroll and placed it before them.

"Please... just take it," Kinuta bowed before hauling his two teammates over his shoulder. "We surrender."

Watching Kinuta and his team vanish behind the trees, Sakura sighed to herself in relief as Team Asuma and Team Takagi stayed next to her while tending to some of their wounds. A heavy silence wedged itself in between the _Konohagakure_ ninjas as if to process everything that had just happened. Sasuke remained completely in a daze as Sakura had his head lying on her lap with a small smile. Izumi walked over and started placing an ointment on Sasuke's wounds as well, wincing at the appearance of blood each time. Ino pulled out a _kunai_ before sitting behind Sakura before shaking her head dejectedly.

"You could have at least cut your hair right, billboard brow," the blonde Yamanaka female teased before cutting off the uneven edges off Sakura's hair. "Here, lemme fix it."

Sakura smiled weakly as she watched Shikamaru drag Naruto from beneath the tree while the other members started patching up one another. Mimi winced slightly as Izumi tightened the bandage a bit only to earn the Uchiha female a glare when she nearly let out an insult about Sasuke. Gray nursed his own wounds while pulling off his scarf to tie around one of the torn main arteries in his arm. Glancing towards one side, Gray found Ino biting her lower lip while trying to nurse her own wounds. He frowned a bit upon remembering the problem of the _Shintenshin no Jutsu_: whatever the vessel received, the person possessing the body did as well. Pulling out a few leaves, he crushed it in his hand before pouring out a small amount of water and rubbing it against his wounds before making a salve for her.

"Here."

Ino looked up questioningly at the coffee blonde Hyuuga, checking the bottle in his hand. "What's that for?"

Gray felt his heart pounding against his chest, averting his eyes a bit. "It's for your wounds. The minerals in the leaf help your wounds heal up faster. It works also for diseases."

The Yamanaka female took the small vial before rubbing it in her own wounds, smiling in affirmation at the Trickster of Team Takagi. "Thanks."

Gray wordlessly walked away whereas Mimi clobbered him on the head. "What?"

"You're so deep into it," Mimi chuckled deeply, twirling around a lock of her streaked hair. "I wouldn't be surprised though if she liked you too."

"Ah well, I am quite irresistible," Gray chuckled deviously with his usual mischievous drawl, promptly earning him a whack from the Uchiha female.

Mimi shook her head while glaring at the coffee blonde teen. "Don't even go there."

Sasuke on the other hand managed to find the strength to prop his body up when he noticed the cooling sensation on his skin. In front of him, Izumi started wrapping his wounds before blowing gently on whatever dust may have managed to make its way into the open gash. Sasuke blinked several times for a moment before a stinging sensation shot through his nerves, causing him to jerk away immediately.

"It's alright," Izumi managed to catch his leg before he kicked her in the face. "That's the thing about natural alcohol; the elements that burn away the infection are twenty times more powerful than that of those that are artificially made."

The black haired male Uchiha remained completely dazed before he nodded stiffly, mouthing a soft thank you. He could not deny how gentle and light Izumi's fingers were as she started mending most of the wounds. He noticed her queasy expression as a small chuckled bubbled from his throat. The crimson haired Yamanaka female looked like she would vomit or at least faint but she managed to maintain most of her composure even as she started mending his burn wounds. He cast his eyes towards the other people who had protected Sakura while he and Naruto were completely unconscious as they managed to temporarily prevent themselves from bleeding.

"What happened to him," Sasuke gestured to Gray, noticing his formerly back hoodie now completely stained along with the pale expression of the ice-wielding Hyuuga ninja.

Izumi bit her lower lip anxiously. "Some extremely strong ninja team attacked us. We didn't know who it was but one of them was strong enough to overwhelm Mimi and Taichi. Gray seemed to know him too and they just started fighting one another. After that, he just started saying stuff about how he wanted a body for power but because we were too strong-willed - he had to find another target. I don't know but Gray and Taichi suddenly went on berserker mode and nearly killed all three of them. Taichi started howling like a dragon and spewing out boulders and crushing the other two members while Gray didn't even perform a set of hand seals – it's as if he summoned them by something else! Mimi was actually afraid of Gray at that point in time..."

Sasuke bit his lower lip anxiously, darkening his gaze at the coffee blonde Hyuuga. _Devilishly fortunate my ass, he's strong!_

Naruto slowly sat up in a complete daze, looking around. "Hey, what happened?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes sarcastically at the clueless blonde hyperactive ninja. "You were unconscious throughout the whole fight. You're lucky that Team Takagi and we came in to make sure Sakura and you guys were alive. Apparently, some sound ninjas decided to ambush you guys. Tsk, how troublesome..."

Naruto nodded slowly while watching Gray and Izumi patch up the other people. Mimi apparently wrapped her left wrist and her whole body almost like a mummy considering how many blows she received throughout the two days. Manyama winced at the pain ebbing at her ribs as she managed to lean against the trunk of the tree.

"I guess we won't be getting attacked now that we managed to have Sasuke go berserk on us," Manyama chuckled lightly while Shikamaru took a seat next to her. "Did you guys get your scrolls yet?"

The Nara clan member shrugged nonchalantly before mending his own wounds and dusting off the dirt. "I don't know - we depended entirely on Ino to get it since she was demanding that she would try her new technique."

Ino snorted in annoyance, folding her arms together. "Che - at least we managed to get the scroll, Shikamaru!"

While nursing their injuries, Ten-ten and Neji suddenly dropped down from the trees looking at the fallen Rock Lee. The brown haired Hyuuga cast his eyes towards Gray begrudgingly while examining the lanky male's injuries. A smirk curved up his lips as he walked away from him.

"Be thankful that you have an Uchiha with you - you would have died without his help," Neji scoffed darkly while walking towards Lee's unconscious body. "It was destined after all for a reject to die such an unceremonial death."

Hissing venomously at Neji's scoff, Mimi balled her hands into a fist and prepared to unleash the _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ at him until Gray held back her arm and shook his head. "Just how powerful do you think you are to believe that you have the privilege to decide what people's destiny is?"

Neji chuckled deeply before casting a foreboding gaze at Gray. "I don't have any say in it. It's all just pathetic on how predictable you are."

"LEE GET UP," Ten-ten forcefully picked him up before shaking him roughly.

Rock Lee shook himself out of the daze before grinning goofily at his weapon specialist teammate. "Oh, hi Ten-ten - Was it that long already?"

Ten-ten blinked several times before staring incredulously at Lee and roughly dropping him onto the ground. "Geez, you're hopeless."

Mimi leaned against the tree trunk, sighing deeply to herself. "You know – I'm starting to believe that the snake guy we encountered back there is the same guy who messed up with Sasuke's _chakra_."

The coffee blonde smirked slightly. "Good, we're on the same page. He's looking for containers and he knows we were too strong for him to handle. That battle was just a test run to make sure his calculations were dead-on right and that his requirements were not messed up. So, he got someone whose mind was easier to bend. If anything, he needs a vessel who would agree to his ambitions and goals. Sasuke completely fits the description and requirements."

"But I don't see why it has to be Sasuke," Taichi bit his lower lip anxiously, glancing at Sakura and Naruto regroup up with Sasuke. "I mean, Mimi's an Uchiha just like him."

"He said that he needed the vessel to desire power in a negative spectrum," Gray replayed the battle scenarios in his mind, recalling Orochimaru's words. "But the psychological effect is so much different; Mimi and Sasuke may want revenge but the strength of their mentality extremely varies. If you notice, Sasuke is willing to accept any method to gain power. Mimi wants to do it by her own terms."

Mimi scoffed darkly, glaring daggers at her cousin's back. "Yeah that's because Takagi-_sensei_ raised me better. But, with all the attention and affection he gets from the fan girls and the _Hokage_ – he really needs corrective brain surgery."

Taichi chuckled while forming a stone fist. "Why go through the meticulous process when you have the easy process of bashing him on the head with a boulder?"

"We may accidentally kill him in the process," Gray sighed into his palm, shaking his head dejectedly at the two only to smirk mischievously right after. "Although, it would be nice to mess with his brain a bit."

The blue dragon slung his arm over the Trickster's shoulder with an impish grin. "Oh yeah, that's the leader we know!"

Mimi grinned devilishly, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "So, what do we have planned for the little cockatoo?"

Gray chuckled deeply while glancing at his watch and looking at the sun slowly descending. "We'll have to save our strategy for him another time – right now; we don't have much time to waste in going towards the towers. Izumi, Manyama – everything good on your end?"

Manyama nodded after finishing her own patchwork and weapon analysis. "Ready when you guys are."

Izumi pulled the bandaged snug enough for Sasuke's leg wound before making a tight knot around it, nodding in affirmation. "Ready!"

Gray stood up with the other two before nodding at them, watching Neji's glance. "See you back at the towers. By the way Neji – _Zannen mataraishu_."

Neji fumed a bit as the five members of Team Takagi vanished from their line of sight. _Just you wait; I'll make you eat your words._

Sasuke on the other hand could not help but contemplate on Izumi's story regarding the ninja team that her own teammates encountered. If the _Genin_ back there were strong enough to make the two male members go berserk and scare his eccentric cousin, what did that make him? He bit his lower lip darkly before casting a dark gaze towards the sky.

_I have to get stronger, no matter what._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 15! I hope you enjoyed! Please don't forget to review!**


	16. Race for the Tower

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs and the attacks! Although some of the ice attacks were translated from Brave Ten's Anastacia, she will be making her cameo appearances here! XD**

Chapter 16 - Race for the Tower

Taichi didn't know what he should do: go straight for the tower or go along with Naruto seeing that they were in no condition to fight or continue on without wasting another day.

The navy bluenette ninja sighed deeply to himself as he started walking alongside Team Kakashi. Of course, he didn't want to leave his best friend alone but the desire to sleep on something soft without needing to fear a bunch of bugs crawling up his back seemed to bug him more. Mimi stayed far from a limping Sasuke Uchiha before discussing things with Gray. The coffee blonde Trickster however shrugged nonchalantly in reply, pointing towards the trees before nodding at Manyama. Taichi closed his eyes before focusing his _chakra_ into his ears, causing them to twitch multiple times. Sounds vibrated and echoed all over the forest as he heard faint noises from other teams.

"Looks like everyone's going for the same plan," Taichi glanced at the team leader of Team Takagi. "So, what do we do now, Trickster?"

Gray frowned a bit, glancing at the sky. "We don't have much time and the fastest way we get there is if we go together. Otherwise, we'd be leaving them behind to the animals that could end up eating them. To be honest, that is the last thing I want on my conscience. At the same time, we're all from the same village."

Mimi gestured to Naruto with a huge goofy grin, cocking her head to the side innocently. "I don't mind the hyperactive blonde kid really, can we leave pinky and cockatoo boy?"

They all stared at the female Uchiha as if she grew another head. "Mimi, that's not a good idea."

Izumi huffed indignantly, pursing her lips in annoyance. "Stop being so mean to Sasuke-_kun_, Mimi! What did he ever do to you?"

Mimi glared venomously at the red haired Yamanaka female, grabbing her by her tunic as her Mangenkyou Sharingan began glowing. "He could have stopped his brother from turning my family into a bunch of corpses! I wouldn't be a bitch if his brother didn't turn the whole family into useless meat chunks after I came home from vacation with my mom's grandparents!"

"Hey let me go," Izumi hissed darkly as she grabbed Mimi by her vest, challenging her Sharingan head on. "He suffered too! You always blame everything on him! Maybe it's your fault that they died because you were too busy frolicking somewhere else!"

Mimi, seething in anger, transferred her crushing grip to Izumi's neck as her eyes became more like slits."WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PAIN? I WATCHED MY BROTHER BLEED HIMSELF TO DEATH EVEN AS HE FAITHFULLY SERVED ITACHI! YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

"Easy guys, easy," Manyama stood in between the two, watching both their movements carefully. "Izumi - you apologize! Mimi, let go of Izumi's neck!"

Mimi growled demonically as her grip tightened around Izumi's neck as black flames suddenly started surrounding them. "Go fuck yourself in a ditch!"

The eldest male immediately let his _chakra _surge out his palms before splitting the two apart. Mimi tumbled onto the ground while Izumi slammed against the trunk of the tree. Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto could only stare in admonishment as Mimi managed to gather her wits and unleashed a howling _Katon Goukkakyou no Jutsu_ towards Izumi. As she tried to strike Izumi with whirling _shurikens_, Gray stood in her way as an ice lance narrowly shot past her while deflecting her projectiles with a slight scrape as her flame screamed past Izumi. The female Uchiha suddenly smirked with Gray as they heard a loud agonized cry of pain behind the bushes.

"What the hell was that," Izumi stared incredulously at the two as Mimi stood in front of Gray with a steeled expression. "You guys...!"

Mimi snickered deviously as Gray drawled mischievously. As the flame exploded behind Izumi, another howl cried out in agonizing pain. Team Kakashi swivelled their head around in shock; where did that come from? They hadn't heard anything following them or pursuing them for the last few minutes.

"You've been hit by," the coffee blonde Hyuuga smirked with his usual mischievous drawl.

"You've been struck by," Mimi grinned devilishly as her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ gleamed proudly.

"A smooth criminal," Gray and Mimi leapt past one another in unison.

Amongst the bushes, three ninjas sprang out to attack much to the male Uchiha's surprise. How did his cousin know that? More importantly, how could Gray pick up the slightest feeling from that kind of distance? As Gray confronted one by planting a kick in his opponent's ribs, Taichi slammed his fists into the ground before throwing out two cannonballs.

"_Saisekikan_ (Stone Breaker)," Taichi slammed the two boulders against one of the ninjas.

"_Tousou Ittou no Jutsu_ (Frostbite Blade),"Gray drew sweat from his forehead before creating a blade on his arm, lunging forward for another attack.

Mimi grinned wolfishly as she twisted her body in the air and landed a kick on the attacker's shoulder. She immediately swung around for a punch as the enemy _kunoichi_ countered with a large swing over with her _shuriken. _The female Uchiha snickered in delight as she suddenly dropped right in front of the said girl's face as her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ whirling around.

"_Hyakkokuchou Yakou_," Mimi grinned as black feathers floated around her before completely engulfing her. "Bye bye~, sleep tight." (Night Parade of a Hundred Black Swans)

A loud electrifying wail echoed throughout the forest as the female _kunoichi _dropped down to the ground with Mimi gleefully cackling with an evil smile. The other two ninjas exchanged glances with one another until Taichi and Gray blocked them at both sides. The two ninjas tried to escape as Gray pushed his body for more movement only to have his body ache from his former injuries. Flinching while silently berating himself for his carelessness, Gray suddenly felt his body become a hundred times lither. He ignored the pain searing through his body as the Hyuuga male zoomed to catch up with him for compensation of his injuries until Sasuke cornered him with both their punches effectively meeting the ninja's face.

"Thanks," Gray winced slightly at the ebbing pain.

"Hn," Sasuke shoved his hands in his pocket but not before smiling in acknowledgement. "You're pretty good, Hyuuga. We tend to learn a lot from one another."

Gray shrugged nonchalantly while glancing at the fallen body, gesturing at him to check the opponent's pockets. "So it seems. Check for scrolls."

Sasuke searched his pockets and suit, shaking his head in frustration and annoyance. "There's nothing."

"Tsk," Taichi snorted in annoyance with a low growl, throwing his hands behind his head in frustration. "They probably buried it somewhere or something or just as desperate as you guys are."

"Damn it," Sasuke bit his lower lip with a foreboding glare. "It looks like our best bet's the tower."

"You can say that again," a familiar sound emerged from the bushes, revealing a silver haired bespectacled male. "Most of the ninja teams are setting traps by the towers. It's actually amazing that I managed to get out here."

Naruto grinned enthusiastically, leaping into the bespectacled male's arms. "Kabuto - you made it!"

Kabuto smiled sheepishly at Naruto's loud outburst, patting the hyperactive boy's head affectionately. "Ah yeah - I don't intend to fail the _Chuunin _Exam another time."

Gray narrowed his eyes calculatingly at the silver haired male, watching his movements carefully. "Why were you coming back out here in the first place? Shouldn't you be at the tower?"

"Ah come on Gray," Naruto slung his arm on the coffee blonde Hyuuga's shoulder. "Kabuto's one of the guys who helped me during the exam."

Mimi twitched furiously as she widened her stance a bit. "Naruto, I'm glad you're nice and all but there's something about this dude I don't like."

Kabuto chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I understand your paranoia. These exams always tend to make people edgy especially this kind of exam."

Manyama bit her lower lip anxiously; watching the four interact Something definitely started biting her in her back as she watched Kabuto remain friendly with the other members of Team Kakashi. She nervously fidgeted around with her weapons until Gray tapped the back of her hand, shaking his head. The weapons specialist weakly nodded before discarding her weaponry back into her pouch. Mimi exchanged glances with her older step brother as she watched Naruto explain everything that happened along the way to Kabuto.

"Geez, he's an idiot," Mimi rolled her eyes sarcastically, leaning against the tree trunk. "What if this guy's a spy or something?"

Gray chuckled darkly while watching Kabuto's hand gesture's carefully, analysing his speech. "What did Uzumaki say his name was?"

"Kabuto," Manyama absently stared at Team Kakashi, wincing slightly. "Somehow, I don't remember seeing him in our yearbooks. Do you guys?"

Mimi hissed darkly at the bespectacled ninja before walking towards the red haired Yamanaka female with a sheepish sigh. "Listen... I'm sorry. I hope I didn't break your neck now did I?"

Izumi glanced up with a weak but cheerful grin. "It's alright; you were right though. I don't know anything about the Uchiha clan history. I only know about the massacre that happened 6 years back. But maybe you could tell me about them more?"

"You're better off not knowing it," Mimi snorted bitterly, shoving her hands into her pockets. "If I tell you now, you're never gonna look at the world the same way again."

The trees remained completely silent before rustling their leaves in the wind. Kabuto followed after the eight _Konohagakure_ ninjas as they ventured further. Sakura slung Sasuke's arm on her shoulder as Naruto and the others made sure that nothing could attack them. Kabuto stared in amazement as he followed behind the weapon specialist. Manyama rolled her eyes towards Kabuto before tapping the ground several times. Mimi's ear twitched along with Taichi as they both informed Izumi and Gray up at the front. He glanced at the female Uchiha, signalling her with a nod. Kabuto bit his lower lip as a tingling hit his spine.

_Genjutsu,_ Kabuto narrowed his eyes before glancing around. _Where?_

Seeing that Kabuto started searching around, Manyama tapped her foot again as Gray and Mimi switched places. Naruto continued walking forward and even loudly chattering with Sakura as Sasuke managed to walk on his own. Mimi continued stepping forward as she glanced back to check on Kabuto.

"I don't like this guy," Manyama glanced warily back at the elder bespectacled male. "I don't remember seeing him in our yearbooks nor do I remember seeing him walking around town."

Mimi eyed their companions at the back, watching Kabuto trail behind them. "I remember him though - wasn't he there when we suddenly collapsed in the middle of _Konohagakure_?"

**Flashback**

The female Uchiha winced in pain as she managed to keep some of her senses open. She glanced at her fallen step brother who lay completely motionless on the ground before searching the area. Nothing seemed to show up as her sight remained completely blurred. A loud ringing sensation thundered against her eardrums as she tried to get on her feet but her hands kept giving way under her. Pink flashed before her eyes as footsteps drew closer to her. Her body cemented itself to the ground as it slightly trembled.

"So these are the famous two of Jonouchi Ren," a sly voice emerged from the shadows as the man with a top knot started nudging the boy. "I didn't know he had fled this far to _Konohagakure_."

The stout man hauled up the male onto his shoulder, snorting indignantly. "What would Orochimaru want with these puppies anyway? They don't do much."

The pink haired _Otogakure_ _kunoichi_ glanced at the Uchiha _kunoichi_, poking her with her flute. "We're in no position to question, Orochimaru-_sama_. Just bring them to him, Jirobu!"

"Orochimaru-_sama_ simply said to check them out not to kidnap them just yet," the bespectacled male lifted Gray's chin for a better look at the boy's face, smirking darkly. "I'm sure Orochimaru-_sama_ would be pleased to research about a double clan member. They're not very easy to come by. Besides, even the Uchiha female may have some use."

The man with the op knot snorted in annoyance before folding his arms, leaning against the wall. "So, what do you expect us to do, Kabuto? We're not just going to stand here like idiots!"

"We are just here to make sure we keep tabs on the potential containers of Orochimaru-_sama_," Kabuto smirked slightly brushing a hair away from the half-conscious female Uchiha's face. "After all, Orochimaru-_sama_ cannot afford to wait another year for something interesting to appear, no?"

After this, the triple streaked haired Uchiha completely blacked out.

**End of Flashback**

"What I don't get is what he would gain from handing Sasuke over to Orochimaru," Manyama cast a dark glare towards the unaware Kabuto, balling her hands into fists. "If it's out of loyalty then, I guess it should be one plausible reason. But he doesn't seem to be the type to be loyal to one master unless he gains something in return."

Gray sharply exhaled before continuing to walk on, glancing at the falling leaves. "We can't keep this _Genjutsu_ too long. People are going to notice, one way or another."

As Mimi shut down the _Genjutsu_, Gray, Manyama and Mimi returned to their original formation as they made their way to the tower. Coming across a river, the nine decided to rest there for a moment to gain whatever wits they had including the information they gained on other people. Gray walked towards the river before playing with the water in his hand, freezing it into a javelin. Manyama sharpened her weaponry while they continued fishing around. Sasuke surveyed the area before plopping down comfortably on the sand by the riverside.

"Don't try to do anything stupid, I'm going to see how far we are from the tower," Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets before walking away from his teammates.

"We're at least twenty metres away from the building, Uchiha," Gray smirked as his _Byakuggan_ faded while the Hyuuga male continued playing around with the water blob in his hand. "Don't expose yourself. That's what the desperate team would want you to do. They would ambush you and take the scroll."

Mimi snickered mockingly before playing around with a few pebbles in her hand, tossing them up and down before crushing them. "Yeah, you're supposed to stay hidden. I bet you even Naruto knew that way before you."

Sasuke scowled darkly at his cousin, glaring venomously. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Mimi stood up with her famous Mangenkyou Sharingan glare, tightening her grip on her _kunai_. "I throw the question right back at you: What the hell is your problem being all screwed up and cynical?"

Gray immediately stepped in between the two, pushing them apart. "Uchiha, I advise you not to provoke Mimi like that. Mimi, save your strength for later. The terror's barely just begun..."

Sasuke stared incredulously at the Hyuuga Trickster, finding himself slightly intimidated by Gray's gleaming emerald eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Naruto on the other hand prepared to open the scroll until Kabuto slapped his hand away, earning a yelp from the hyperactive blonde ninja. "Hey what was that for?"

"Don't open it here, Naruto," Kabuto warned while glancing at the scroll, sighing dejectedly to himself; how stupid could the boy be? "Usually, scrolls like this have traps and gas marks. Once you open it, you could either get poisoned or put to sleep for the rest of the exam."

Izumi adjusted the straps of her suit while staring off into the horizon. "So, what's the game plan?"

Taichi shrugged before throwing a few pebbles into his mouth, crunching them like chips. "I don't know. Beats me."

"Stop eating rocks, Taichi!"

The navy bluenette threw his hands up in surrender before waving them around defensively. "Hey, I have to feed Seiryuu too ya know! It really helps his power!"

Gray sighed at the loud ruckus they started to make while Mimi sulked off towards the edge of the river. Manyama on the other hand sat next to him before drawing out something on the ground. The two ninjas of Team Takagi sat next to each other whereas the three began bickering or sulking - whichever came first.

"Your wounds healing up," Manyama raised an eyebrow questioningly at Gray as he started playing with a small blob of water. "I'm surprised you can still move despite the torture."

Gray chuckled deviously, applying the water to his wounds to wash out the dirt. "It's going to take more than a snake to bring me down."

Manyama glanced warily at Kabuto as she immediately averted her eyes away. "This Kabuto guy seems awfully friendly with Naruto considering the blonde kid never met him before."

Gray narrowed his eyes darkly at the bespectacled ninja as well. "He's a walking eye. There's this faint aura I'm picking up but I'm not quite sure who it is. At most, I can assume it was the same man who ambushed us a few days back along with five other energies. There's a solid one, a fluctuating one, circular flowing one and there are also an erratic and a mixed one. I can't identify them at this range. I can only go as far as fifteen metres. After that, things start getting hazy."

"To get that kind of accuracy, you'd shut Neji up in an instant," Manyama grinned cheekily as Gray began freezing the water in his hand. "Hey go easy. The more paranoid you get, the faster they'll pick us up."

Gray huffed moodily before melting the ice into water, casting daggers towards Kabuto. "It's not my fault we have a breach in security."

Manyama nodded stiffly before glancing back at Team Kakashi for a few moments.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Night slowly fell on them as they found themselves a few walking distance from the tower. Birds chirped throughout the night with the moon gleaming above them. Crickets whistled amongst the trees as the wind blew their sounds away. The ninjas shivered slightly as the wind brushed past them, anxiously looking around for any hostilities. Mimi walked ahead of the members with Gray staying in the middle for peripheral view and Taichi staying at the back for defensive measures.

"Damn, shit just got real," Taichi flinched at the cold wind that licked against his skin. "For your information, I'm half reptile!"

Mimi snickered at the bluenette. "Shove your arms into your armpits. That should help."

"Considering we haven't had a decent bath for days," Taichi breathed out visible air as the wind blew straight beneath his legs. "I don't wanna!"

Naruto grinned enthusiastically, slapping Taichi's back. "Come on, I'm sure you can take it!"

"Being half reptile lessens his ability to withstand weather changes," Gray tossed his jacket over to Taichi which the bluenette accepted happily. "Don't wear it when you're about to transform. That's my favourite hoodie."

Mimi face palmed, now seeing her topless step brother. "_Aniki,_ didn't you bring an extra shirt?"

"I did but one's full of holes and the rest are soaked with tree sap and some stuff I don't want to know," Gray scowled darkly at the memory of Orochimaru attacking him, ignoring the fact that Sakura couldn't peel her eyes off his body. "That was my last one. Besides, I'm a guy and I'm used to the cold. Better me topless than Taichi turning into a dead reptile."

Izumi sighed into her palm, shaking her head. _Trust him to forget he's a freakin' chick magnet._

Sakura could barely focus as now she stared at Gray's lean stature. He definitely sculpted and toned his arms and legs for the sake of the _Jyuuken _style and his water and ice ability allowed him to constantly switch styles. What she never noticed however that under his baggy hoodie was broad shoulders that could definitely engulf anyone when he embraces people and a flat, well-defined set of washboard abs that were hidden beneath it. Now she saw why Mimi constantly threw a hoodie on Gray: He was freakin' distracting.

While Sakura ogled at Gray, Izumi found herself worried over the three black spots on the nape of Sasuke's neck. She watched him stumble along, exerting as much effort as he could to keep up without submitting into paralysis or staggering. His breathing had become much laboured as sweat poured down his cheeks.

"Sasuke," Izumi prepared to reach out for him until a branch cracked behind her. "What?"

A fist prepared to meet her face until someone grabbed her and landed a kick on the attacker's face. Much to her shock and delight, Sasuke held onto her shoulders for support as he slammed the attacker away. Gray flung _kunai_ and knives towards the bushes as more ninjas suddenly appeared. Naruto punched one as Kabuto began taking out a few as well. Sakura desperately swung her _kunai_ while Izumi snaked her whip towards the clones. Manyama somersaulted over a view before strangling them with her chain scythe while the female Uchiha began breathing fire. Taichi slammed another one until they started melting into mud.

"Mimi, locate the real one," Gray kicked down another clone that reverted back into mud. "_Hyouton, Tousou Ittou no Jutsu! _(Ice Style, Frostbite Blade)"

Mimi activated her _Sharingan_ as blue balls of _chakra_ began rushing at them. She immediately began searching but found nothing. She blew out another flame as they returned into mud once more before resuming the shape of their ninja copy. Gray spun around as it threw the attacking ninjas towards the tree trunks with Izumi slashing her way through.

"They're not here," Mimi kicked down another one as three piled up on her, slamming her into the ground. "Gray, you gotta search for them!"

Gray winced at the blow that collided with his former wounds as he staggered back. He watched the attacker's eyes carefully as he dodged another time. His eyes whitened into the _Byakuggan_ as he managed to pop one instantly. More clones rushed in as they prepared to leap on him until Taichi grabbed a few of them before punching them into the ground. As another set appeared, Izumi danced around before lashing out at the others that were about to strike him from behind.

"Damn bastards," Taichi let out a draconic hiss as his formerly jet black eyes became reptilian green. "It's time you died PERMANENTLY!"

As more clones rushed in, Taichi howled and destroyed them with sheer volume. Manyama winced as she flung her chain scythe towards another clone as they disappeared into pools of mud. The weapon specialist backtracked for a few moments before watching Kabuto handle the other attackers. He swung his body around before landing a double kick on the face before tearing through another set of creatures with his own glowing hand of _chakra_. They reverted into blobs once again as Mimi sent a roaring flame past him.

_He's too experienced to be a Genin._

Manyama darkly narrowed her eyes until Gray suddenly slammed his palm into the ground, revealing three ninjas jumping out of the ground. The weapon specialist whirled her chain scythe before looping it over the three ninjas and slamming them into the ground. Mimi grabbed one by the neck as she slammed him against the tree before staring at him for a few moments and reducing the ninja into a catatonic bubbling idiot. Izumi tore one apart with the razor thorns as Gray froze the man into the ground. Taichi leapt high into the air before crushing the other male with a shoulder kick while Manyama strangled the last one with chains. A blue scroll suddenly rolled out of the ninja's pocket as Naruto's expression beamed with pride.

"It's the Heaven Scroll," Naruto jumped up with glee before greedily grabbing the scroll. "Yay, we can head back to the tower now!"

Kabuto chuckled before ruffling Naruto's blonde hair. "Congratulations Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke. I guess we should be heading back now? How about you, Hyuuga-_kun_, Uchiha-_chan_? Will you and your teammates head back along with them?"

Gray swivelled his head towards Kabuto, narrowing his eyes darkly but maintained a stoic face. "Ah, we should be."

Manyama shivered from the aura dripping off the Trickster's sides; definitely, something with the bespectacled ninja seemed very off. _Gray normally doesn't get riled up like this._

Kabuto on the other hand had other ideas.

He definitely watched Gray's expression and aura shift as it became more monosyllabic or straight to the point. Kabuto chuckled inwardly to himself; perhaps it was Gray's first time to face someone who plays on the same field as he does? The bespectacled male noticed a visible flinch from the coffee blonde boy before matching the boy's emerald green gaze with his own. A rarity perhaps, Kabuto mused quietly to himself. In the history of his job, there was only one person he knew with such a Western trait. She remained in _Yukigakure_ before becoming the most well-known _ANBU_ in the history of the village. With no mercy, she slaughtered countless ninjas in the name of her village before completely vanishing from the face of the earth. A chuckle bubbled from his throat.

_Perhaps, this boy is her love child._

He then glanced at Uchiha Mimi, recognizing the eyes that stared back at him. What was the boy's name again – Uchiha Kohaku? The bespectacled spy remembered meeting the said boy before. He was a family man; loved his sister and girlfriend very much before his untimely death at the hands of Uchiha Itachi. To think he also helped him conspire, Kabuto chuckled darkly to himself. Itachi, Kohaku and Shisui – the three most prodigious of the Uchiha clan brought down the rebellions and revolts from the other parts of the village with ease. Kohaku and Mimi clearly had the same fighting style; like brother, like sister.

_It seems this brotherly relationship transferred to Hyuuga-kun._

Kabuto chuckled as he followed them along, heading straight towards the tower with a sly grin spread across his face.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's chapter 16! Sorry for the late update but here it is! Please don't forget to review!**


	17. Struggle and Live

**Me: Thank you so far for your continued support for my Naruto story! I actually had half the mind to not continue revamping it anymore since not many people read Naruto fan-fictions so, thank you! I do not own Naruto! I only own the OCs and their techniques.**

Chapter 17 - Struggle and Live

As Team Kakashi entered the tower along with Team Takagi, Naruto's eyes widened at the huge stone walls that surrounded him. His blue eyes widened in excitement as Naruto started running around and howling in amusement whereas Sasuke let out a slight 'hn' before walking on forward. Sakura on the other hand found herself completely perplexed with the task; what exactly did the scrolls mean? She fished out the two scrolls from her pocket before staring at the rolls of paper queerly.

"What are these for," Sakura blinked several times as she glanced at the top scroll hanging from the ceiling. "Jin... That mean's person right?"

Taichi glanced at the scroll for a few moments before glancing at Manyama who started observing the seals on the scroll. "So, what do we do?"

Manyama eyed the scrolls for a few moments before handing one to Taichi, inhaling deeply. "We have to open them simultaneously otherwise something's going to wrong."

"These things are usually armed with poison," Izumi fingered the scrolls carefully before stepping away from it. "I don't have enough antidotes on me so we better pray it isn't serious."

Naruto stared incredulously before swallowing hard, trembling a bit fearfully. "Really?"

Sasuke picked the scrolls out from Sakura's hand before handing one to Naruto. "You open one, I open one. And open it at the same time."

"What? Shit's finally getting serious," Mimi brightened up with some battle-hungry glint in her eyes only to be whacked at the upside head of her older step brother. "Hey!"

Manyama stood in front of Taichi as they nodded at one another, tightening their grip on the scroll's seal. Silence deafened the area with their heartbeats pounding loudly in their ears until they finally pulled the scrolls open along with Naruto and Sasuke doing the same thing. Mimi lowered herself into fighting stance as Izumi prepared to cover her nose with Gray staying in front of the two of them and Sakura while watching their teammates open the scrolls. As the paper unfurled out from all four scrolls, two figures appeared amongst the dust as Naruto stared in astonishment along with the other seven people standing with him and seeing very familiar faces.

"Iruka-_sensei_," Naruto leapt for joy into the man's arms, nearly tackling him down.

Team Takagi's eyes widened as well as their very favourite teacher appeared before them with a proud smirk.

"Looks like you guys made it," Takagi chuckled good humouredly, folding his arms in approval. "Congratulations."

Gray chuckled in amusement before folding his arms as Taichi and Izumi launched themselves at their _sensei_, prompting him to completely fall over. "Geez old man, you nearly gave us a heart attack."

Mimi snickered darkly with a cynical expression, watching Taichi and Izumi hug him tightly before resuming a darkened expression. "Well, this is what happens when you keep the rest of the world in suspense. I thought the _Jounin_ teachers were supposed to be at the balcony watching us kill each other in the next round."

Suddenly, the whole air became thick as Gray stared emotionlessly back at Takagi as the teacher himself stood up. Silence descended on them once again as their eyes stared expectantly at their teachers who could do nothing but avert their eyes away from the eight of them. Gray on the other hand seemed completely calm as Mimi remained completely stone cold with a murderous aura leaking from her sides. Sakura stared in horror; the mere thought of her killing Sasuke - completely improbable! Izumi shivered fearfully before looking at her own teammates while Manyama stared in astonishment.

"Y-you're not serious are you," Izumi giggled nervously only to have Takagi's sullen gaze.

"What the hell are we - your circus clowns," Manyama bristled angrily before grabbing Takagi by his vest, tightening her grip considerably. "You have to be kidding right? That can't be the politics of this exam! If so, I would have dropped out at the very beginning!"

Takagi watched their unnerving gazes but not before ruffling Manyama's hair. "You all have the option to take a life or not. It's not a requirement to kill your opponent. In fact, I wanted to appear before you to forbid you all from killing any of the fighters involved."

Izumi exhaled in belief as Sasuke found himself looking at the red head. A slight grunt escaped him as he glanced at her once again. His body tingled with a warm feeling upon remembering her healing techniques and how gentle she was in applying it to his wounds. He shook his head - now's not the time to dwell on those kinds of thoughts.

Then again, he did only have a few chances to talk to her.

In comparison to her cousin, Izumi definitely showed more character considering how fast she was to repel the _shurikens_. All the memories of his berserk state slowly flooded back to his mind. He remembered kicking Gray down and sending Taichi into a tumbling heap towards Manyama Uzami and his other cousin - he decided to render her temporarily blind. However, he realized that through those memories Izumi barely showed up in any of them.

"Gray, I know you've seen many things in the other villages but the customs are different," Takagi sighed deeply at his adopted son. "_Konohagakure_ isn't as bloodstained as the other countries."

The coffee blonde trickster smirked darkly before frowning a bit with his emerald green eyes flickering. "I'm not worried about us. I'm worried about the other participants. Not many of them have a _sensei_ to guide us the way you do nor do they even have a set of values to follow. By all means, they'll probably mutilate us and have a sense of heaven while they're at it."

Mimi scoffed darkly, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "I hear _Sunagakure_ has a psychopathic killer that can literally paint the town red."

Takagi sighed at his student; when did kids get so morbid? "Take it easy, Gray, Mimi. I trained you guys better. If these people do not have a code of honour then, fight with yours and still stay on top. I know you two have had your fair share of bloodstains in your memories but keep it to yourselves until needed."

Iruka nodded at Naruto and the others. "From here on out, I won't be able to help you. I have to make sure that the fights will be done fairly and so far - everything's gone pretty well."

Takagi raised an eyebrow as he ushered the kids along with a reassuring grin. "Well, shall we go?"

However, Takagi could not help but notice the deep gashes on his students' bodies.

As a _Jounin_, he had to make sure that their welfares were well-looked after and done with. Watching over his members also meant that he should not compromise his powers as a team leader. As a friend, he watched their backs and made sure that they didn't end up hurting themselves or the people they loved. As their father, he would lead them right and protect them as if they were his own family. He had watched them grow and mature along with blowing up a few buildings in the process.

"Who," Takagi narrowed his eyes at his children's wounds. "You can't be serious."

Izumi noticed that her teacher had completely stopped walking. "_Sensei_, is there something wrong?"

Takagi shook away the dark feeling before smiling in reassurance. "I was just wondering how _Genin_ could be so brutal nowadays."

_I really don't think it was a Genin who hurt them._

As Takagi took his place among the _Jounin, _the _Genin_ stood in front of them proudly as many of them were trained from _Konohagakure_ and a few from the other villages. Sasuke stepped in front of Sakura whereas Naruto trailed behind them both. On the other hand, Gray took the lead with the five man team standing behind him. The _Hokage_ stood proudly in front of the rookies of _Konohagakure_ as he clapped his hands.

"Job well done," the _Hokage_ glanced around proudly while extending his arms to everyone. "Everyone has done so well as of now as you all managed to clear the Forest of Death. Many times in the past, we have found students who were severely traumatized and had to be dragged out. I am glad that you are all stronger than that."

Gray bit his lower lip before grasping the wound at his abdomen. He watched the eyes of the people carefully as Mimi tapped his shoulder.

"Hey is it just me or does the snake guy look funnily familiar," Mimi narrowed her eyes while curling her hand into a fist. "Who the fuck is he?"

"I don't know," Gray darkly glared at the _Jounin_ until he heard a loud coughing.

Instead of the _Hokage_, a sickly young man appeared while bowing low to the _Hokage_. The old man merely nodded as he glanced once again to the other _Genin._ Sighing deeply to himself, the old man shook his head before glancing at all of them with a smile.

"I wish you all the best of luck throughout these exams and may the best ninja prevail," the _Hokage_ suddenly vanished as the sickly young man stood in front of them.

"My name is Gekkou Hayate," he coughed and wheezed a bit, fixing his ninja vest. "From here on out, I will be your examiner. The rules are relatively simple: whoever wins moves on to the next round. You will be facing one another in a match. If anyone wishes to back out, say so now."

Sakura shivered slightly at the sound of Hayate's words before noticing the mark on Sasuke's neck. Her hand remained glued to her side and her lips were tightly locked as she shakily prepared to raise her hand until Sasuke slapped it down immediately.

"Don't," Sasuke glared at her darkly. "I will continue."

"But Sasuke-_kun_," Sakura stared worriedly at the mark blazing on his neck with the image of the berserk Sasuke flashing in her mind. "What if...?"

"I'd like to forfeit."

Everyone swivelled their heads towards an injured Kabuto as he winced slightly at the pain searing through his ears. His clothes were badly torn and his arm dangled limply with his left eye shut. From head to toe, blood soaked his clothes with his glasses showing small cracks here and there. Kabuto backed up from his team as he started for the stairs.

"But Kabuto-_san,_" Naruto stared at him with utter dismay. "You can't back out now!"

Kabuto chuckled humourlessly before dragging his limping leg. "The last match with the Sound ninjas definitely tore my ear drums apart. Well, most of it anyway. You go on ahead."

As Kabuto started towards the stairs, Mimi leaned over to Gray with an indignant snort. "He's clearly lying. He wasn't that injured when we fought the Rain ninjas who ambushed us back then. Your _Byakuggan_ can clearly see that or perhaps - your Insight."

Gray narrowed his eyes darkly as they all started for the stairs for standby. He counted his opponents and realized they were an odd number. A frown knitted his eyebrows together as the Hyuuga male raked his fingers through his coffee blonde hair while watching the people watch the LED screen carefully as names began to flash before their eyes. He folded his arms before leaning against the wall until the names appeared.

**Uchiha Sasuke**

**Vs.**

**Akadou Yoroi**

Sakura's eyes widened with fear as Sasuke smirked in amusement. The pink haired _kunoichi_ shivered at the thought of seeing the berserk Sasuke again. She had no idea how she stopped him the last time but the Izumi's techniques literally did wonders in calming down the raging Uchiha. But what exactly did it? Her voice or did Izumi's technique really bring down Sasuke's _chakra_ and bring him back? Whatever it was, Sakura exhaled in relief before watching Sasuke walk down the stairs and face the sound ninja. Akadou Yoroi stared at him with a pair of shades while the mask fluttered a bit.

"Ready when you are," Sasuke smirked in amusement as he readied his stance.

Akadou said nothing as the bell sounded off for their match. Sasuke immediately darted forward with a few kicks and punches which the other man avoided easily. Clucking his tongue in annoyance, the young Uchiha male somersaulted in the air before trying to land a shoulder shattering kick until Yoroi sidestepped and grabbed him by his face. Cloaking his hand in _chakra_, Akadou Yoroi plunged Sasuke into the ground without any remorse or sound. Izumi stared in horror as she immediately clamped her mouth shut.

"He'll be fine," Mimi waved her hand dismissively, watching her cousin with a raised eyebrow. "If it's one thing the Uchiha pride themselves on, it's their stubbornness. What makes you think Sasuke's gonna submit to some second-rate bastard like him?"

Izumi swallowed hard before biting her lower lip, gripping the metal railings tightly. "That's not what I meant! I was worried more about the effects from the _Ibarahime no Fujoboukou_! His _chakra_ must have plummeted like a rock in water! You saw what happened to him - he's no condition to take on a _chakra_ influx right now! It's going to sear his nerves and his central nervous system!"

"Like Mimi said, he'll be fine," Gray deactivated his _Byakuggan_ while watching Sasuke struggle against his opponent's vice grip. "He didn't become the current champion of _Konohagakure_ for nothing."

Takagi chuckled before ruffling the young male's coffee blonde hair, earning a snort from the teen. "You have to admit; you were a candidate for being part of the honour list as well except your pranks and mischievousness became increasingly harmful like I don't know - flooding the hallways with toilet water?"

"I hated boredom and you know that," Gray chuckled devilishly with his usual Trickster-like drawl, running his fingers through his hair. "If the lessons were more interesting, I wouldn't have constantly cut classes now would I?"

Takagi shook his head in dismay at his adoptive son, sheepishly sighing in defeat. "Gray, as much as I know you have fun staining the name of the Hyuuga clan, it's not exactly something to be proud of."

"Sasuke-_kun_!"

Everyone swivelled their attention back to the fallen boy as his hand fell limply to the ground with Yoroi somewhat grinning in delight. Sasuke lay unconscious on the ground for a few moments as Yoroi slowly released his grip from the boy's head. Silence fell around them until a small ghostly smirk suddenly formed on the male Uchiha's lips.

"Gotcha."

Chakra engulfed the Uchiha's body as his consciousness slowly started returning to him. Sasuke struggled under the weight of the hand but he finally managed to gain some leverage with his body. Wasting no time at all, Sasuke kicked Yoroi straight under the chin as everyone noticed the young male's eyes glowing red with the _Sharingan_ whirling around. Soon, his punches flew accurately and much faster than before as he finally sent Yoroi staggering back. Despite the hits, the sound ninja launched himself back at Sasuke who dodged it with much ease before zooming past him and landing a hit straight on his back. The man staggered forward and prepared to grab Sasuke again but the boy sent him straight into the air with a kick before leaping up behind him. However, Sasuke winced suddenly as the pain seared through his back. He could feel the dark marks placed on his neck burning as it started spreading across his body like a wildfire. His eyes widened with horror as he tried to move his body but to no avail.

"Move, damn it! Move!"

"What the hell is that," Ino stared in admonishment at the black marks crawling all over Sasuke's body. "Billboard brow, what happened to Sasuke-_kun_ back there!"

Izumi glowered darkly at her blonde cousin before performing a set of _Jutsu_ seals, finally irritated with her for once. "Ino, shut up for once and let me take care of this!"

_I have to drain his chakra again but that's going to render him completely defenceless!_

However, the black marks crawling all over the champion's body suddenly started reverting back to where it originated as Sasuke started moving freely again. As the male Uchiha found his limbs slowly moving upon his desire, he immediately started fighting back with his legs finally giving him some good flexibility in the air. With his Sharingan glowing, Sasuke fought back the burning urge as he finally swung his legs over for a multiple kick combination and slamming Yoroi into the ground with a ground-breaking kick.

"_Shishi Rendan _[Lion's Combo]," Sasuke winced in pain as he managed to recover a bit clumsily despite his condition.

Yoroi remained motionless on the ground as Hayate walked over to check whether or not his opponent still had some of his consciousness or any sign of movement. Sasuke began breathing haphazardly as he staggered back a bit, feeling a heavy strain on his body. His eyes were on the verge of closing as Hayate stood up.

"The winner is Uchiha Sasuke."

Girls went wild and clapping loudly while Sasuke managed to drag himself up the stairs, collapsing against the nearest wall. Izumi immediately rushed towards him before his face decided to kiss the concrete before she shook her head distastefully, propping his body against the wall. She rolled up the sleeves of her ninja robe before pulling out some vials and herbs, crushing them into a paste and then smearing it over his wounds.

"Are you always this reckless," Izumi sighed in defeat before placing her hand full of _chakra_ over the pile of leaves. "I know it's not as permanent but the potency is just the same. Just bear with the stinging."

Sasuke winced slightly as he noticed the bleeding slowly decrease and the wounds stitching themselves together quickly and accurately. His eyes widened at the speed before glancing at Izumi who remained completely focused in sealing up his wounds. A cooling sensation shot through his body as he inhaled deeply to close his eyes and relax. He let out a helpless ghost of a smile before succumbing to exhaustion. On the other hand, the other girls started fuming at Izumi's distance between her and Sasuke before returning to the next match. Their eyes widened as a set of names appeared before them.

**Hyuuga Gray**

**vs.**

**Dosu Kinuta**

The ice-water wielding ninja remained completely lax as he walked down the stairs without much noise as Kinuta took a stance in front of him. The stadium increasingly became silent as the two ninjas faced off with one another. Mimi bit her lower lip anxiously, looking at the bandage of her older step-brother and noticing the blood profusely coating the bandages. The beads of sweat trickled down the older sibling's face as he prepared himself to fight with the other.

"He should have had that thing changed," Mimi face-palmed at her brother, shaking her head. "Gray, you could have at least put a shirt on!"

Gray on the other hand chuckled mischievously before winking at his step sister. "Relax, I'll be alright. It's not going to hinder me as long as I keep this fight interesting."

"You're an idiot! Stop trying to attract the female population!"

Kinuta chuckled darkly before brandishing his sound band. "Are you sure you want to die so early?"

"You should say that after you have me pinned and limbless on the ground," Gray cracked the joint in his fingers with a confident smirk, taking on the _Jyuuken_ stance. "Get yourself ready!"

With Hayate giving the signal, Kinuta launched himself at Gray as the Hyuuga coffee blonde ninja took a side step and dodged his attempts to attack him. He landed with a hand stand before pushing off the ground and created a distance between him and Kinuta. The sound ninja on the other hand managed to rush towards Gray and land a kick straight against his jaw but only to have Gray recover easily from the last attack and repay him with another kick to the other boy's jaw. Gray's emerald green eyes narrowed in analysis before re-directing one of Kinuta's punches and landing a blow straight to his rib cage. The sound ninja staggered back with a slight cough as he struggled to lift his left arm. Much to his surprise, his arm refused to move as Gray stood a few metres away from him.

"I don't intend to kill you," Gray remained completely stolid as he launched himself towards Kinuta. "But I plan to make you experience true terror."

Kinuta narrowed his eyes at the Hyuuga running towards him as he remembered the information he had gathered recently from Orochimaru and the other teams they managed to floor. A small smirk adorned his face as he remembered going through the papers that Kabuto had loaned him over. Over the times he had ventured through the forest, Kinuta found himself glancing and scanning the papers regarding Team Takagi and Team Kakashi's stats and characteristics. He at first scoffed at the powers of Team Takagi; Taichi basically fought with berserker-like rage and strength, Mimi definitely underestimated her opponents too much and simply just burned them away, Izumi did not have the kind of physical power and ruthlessness her first two friends had and Manyama prided herself in speed of launching and accuracy. But what caught his eye more was that Gray's physical attributes were slightly lower than the rest and was completely balanced. Kinuta frowned at that thought until a small ghostly smile curved up his lips.

_Team Takagi's Trickster – this should be interesting._

As soon as Gray closed in the distance, Kinuta threw a punch towards him and connected firmly to Gray's chest. But the moment he smirked, the image of Gray gradually faded into nothing but specks and dusts of snow. His eyes widened as Kinuta started looking around fearfully.

"Gray's having too much fun again, isn't he," Mimi groaned at her step-father as the _Jounin_ sighed dejectedly at the match.

Kakashi glanced at the brown shaggy haired _Jounin_ standing next to Mimi. "What exactly did Gray have that made him so deadly in the first place? I know his innovativeness is astounding but other than that, his physical attributes do not lead too much."

Neji scoffed with a dark sneer at the match, looking disdainfully at the events. "That's because his hybridity from both sides compromised his strength. He's not going to win this match regardless of what happens."

Takagi frowned at the other Hyuuga male before shaking his head. "Gray may not be the fastest in comparison to Manyama, his _chakra_ control definitely shrinks before Izumi and Taichi and Mimi both have the strength and defensive power. However, what makes him the most dangerous is that..."

Gray suddenly appeared behind Kinuta before landing a stream of fast punches at his back.

"He is the most cunning and the fastest thinker among the five."

Gray's emerald green eyes suddenly changed to white as he pivoted around for several punches. Kinuta staggered back as Gray continued his relentless assault with his palms rapidly attacking every _chakra_ point his hand managed to reach. Kinuta scowled at the coffee blonde boy's long range and height as the Hyuuga ninja pushed him against the wall with a _chakra_ reinforced strike. Kinuta coughed heavily as Gray stood in front of him with his deep calculating gaze. The sound ninja found his limbs unable to move as he watched the Hyuuga ninja advance towards him. With nowhere to run, Kinuta began forcing his legs to sprint him out of the situation but to no avail.

"What will you do now," Gray smirked mischievously with his hand glowing with _chakra_, feeling the _chakra_ appear with his _Byakuggan _eyes. "You're stuck to the wall. Your body definitely cannot swing that armband of yours and basically – you're paralysed in your limbs. Your _chakra_ points are completely messed up with 170 of them shut down and the others flowing erratically to the other parts of your body. To sum it all up, you're epically screwed."

Kinuta struggled to stand up as he found his limbs non-responsive. "Tch, so what will you do now?"

Gray shrugged nonchalantly before deactivating his _Byakuggan_, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You know what? I particularly don't know. But, I have to knock you out somehow."

Kinuta scowled darkly at the _Konohagakure_ ninja, glaring daggers. "Don't give me that crap; I'm sure you know how."

The Trickster chuckled devilishly before pulling out a jug of water before forming a few seals with one hand.

Sakura's eyes widened with awe and astonishment. "He can do single handed seals now?"

Takagi blinked several times with Kakashi chuckling to himself in amusement. "This kid learned pretty fast."

"_Hijutsu; Sensatsu Suisho,_" Gray narrowed his eyes at his opponent before unleashing the volley of icicle needles floating above Kinuta. [Secret Art; Thousand Killing Ice Crystals]

As the needles flew straight down, some pierced Kinuta's arms and legs while the rest smashed his sound band and nailed his jacket against the wall. Kinuta remained completely horrified and stupefied as Gray unrelentingly stood in front of him with the ice suddenly melting into water. Kinuta stared in astonishment at Gray until the water formed a huge puddle around him and suddenly started swirling around.

"_Shintan no Rouya_," Gray narrowed his eyes at the sphere started enveloping Kinuta, feeling a slight strain on his _chakra_. [Abyssal Jail]

_Damn, I'm really stretching my chakra. At least it doesn't require as much water as the Suiro no Jutsu._

Kinuta choked and desperately tried to breathe only to completely pass out. As he noticed his unconscious opponent, Gray immediately dropped the attack before walking away from his fallen competitor. Hayate moved towards Kinuta before checking any signs of consciousness before declaring the results.

"Winner is – Hyuuga Gray!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's chapter 17! Please don't forget to review! :)**


	18. Cunning like the Fox but Wild like a Dog

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs and their attacks!**

Chapter 18 - Cunning like the Fox but Wild like a Dog

Gray calmly walked up the stairs with his usual calm and lax position before taking his place against the wall. He glanced towards the other people as they carried out Kinuta from the battlefield however the strain from the _Shintan no Rouya_ practically had his arm and body screaming in pain from the strain. The coffee blonde Hyuuga ninja glanced at his other team members as Mimi gave him a high five whereas Taichi clapped his back with a huge goofy grin on his face, nearly knocking down the elder male. The eldest of Team Takagi shook his head with a defeated smile before glancing at his palm.

"I probably won't be able to fight for the next few rounds," Gray inhaled sharply while watching the board go on random selection. "If anything, the last thing we need right now are consecutive matches."

Mimi flicked back her hair as she stood next to Gray before making a small fire ball. "Say, how was fighting those Sound Ninjas like?"

"They basically could use sound for anything from amplification to projection," the Hyuuga teen frowned a bit while noticing the tatters of his clothes and the ringing in his ears. "As much as possible, don't have any physical contact with them. Attack from long range unless you know you can tolerate the decibel level of their sound waves."

Mimi nodded before glancing at her possible opponents, noticing the Hyuuga members standing on one side. She snorted indignantly at not being able to fight Sasuke but glanced at any other potential fun opponents. Chouji continued eating his potato chips and Shikamaru continued looking lazy. Neji on the other hand remained completely stolid before casting a withering glance at his coffee blonde cousin. The triple streaked female Uchiha cracked her knuckles before glaring holes back at the brunette Hyuuga, preparing to stalk off and pound his face in.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM," Mimi suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt with her eyes blazing with anger, catching the attention of other people. "WHAT? YOU HAVE SOME SUPERIORITY COMPLEX OR SOMETHING OR ARE YOU JUST PLAIN RETARDED!?"

Neji smirked before plucking Mimi's fingers off his jacket with a nonchalant shrug. "It's good he knows his place. He would have shamed the Hyuuga name if he continued using the style of the Hyuuga. He has no right to be a Hyuuga. It's his destiny - his blood speaks for itself."

"SCREW YOU," -Mimi's jet black eyes suddenly became crimson with an eight pointed star taking form for her pupils. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT GRAY! WAIT 'TIL I REDUCE YOUR BRAIN INTO MUSH!"

Takagi immediately got up to stop Mimi from creating any casualties. If anything, once Mimi is angry at someone - her wrath and vengeance know no bounds. Gai on the other hand found himself moving towards Neji to prevent him from saying anything insulting or insinuating anything any further. Both _Jounins_ prepared to rush in and separate the two ninjas but both of them were surprised by the speed of the other two as the navy bluenette and the coffee blonde male leapt forward to restrain the female Uchiha.

Taichi immediately slapped his hand over Mimi's eyes while Gray pushed Neji away from his female teammate. "Jeez Mimi, hold your horses! There's a chance you'll be able to fight him in the preliminaries! Take it easy; we can't have any casualties!"

Gray narrowed his eyes at Neji, lacing his voice with ice and venom. "If you have any problem with me, you take it to me directly. You do not involve Mimi or anyone with the Hyuuga's politics and try convincing them about this "destiny crap" you've spouting off. Do you hear me?"

Neji smirked darkly as his white eyes met Gray's emerald ones before turning away with an arrogant scoff, walking back to his team. "You will always be a reject of the Hyuuga clan, Gray. It'd be best that you don't even mention your mother at all. That is your destiny."

As Neji walked away, the next battle flashed on the screen.

**Manyama Uzami**

**Vs.**

**Akimichi Chouji**

Manyama smiled excitedly, cracking her knuckles and neck. "Finally - I thought I was never going to get any action in."

Chouji on the other hand continued eating his potato chips before walking down stairs with a gleeful expression. "Mm, its barbecue flavour~."

Ino face-palmed dejectedly, restraining the urge to slam her head against the railing. "Chouji - what the hell are you doing? Get your butt in gear! You're almost as bad as Shikamaru!"

"Oi, don't get me involved," Shikamaru stared at his blonde female partner incredulously, sweat-dropping slightly at the volume of her voice. "Geez, women are so troublesome."

Chouji didn't seem to care as he continued eating his potato chips with a loud crunch whereas Manyama stood in front of him, prepared to unleash her volley of attacks. The Akimichi clan member glanced up at the dark haired _kunoichi_ whose charcoal gray orbs focused darkly on him. He blinked several times before grinning in delight.

"Oh, you want some," he offered her a bag, prompting the weapons specialist to stare at him awkwardly.

"Um, Chouji - we're in the middle of the match," Manyama blinked several times at the chubby ninja, shaking her head. "We're supposed to be fighting each other?"

Chouji's eyes widened with realization as he began looking around panicked. "Oh? But I don't wanna fight right now!"

"Well, it's part of it," Manyama readied her scythe, twirling it around before watching his movements carefully. "Get yourself ready!"

As the signal sounded off, the scythe darted across the field as Chouji jumped out of the way before preparing to steamroll her. Before the Akimichi clan ninja could attack her, Chouji nearly fell forward as he found the _kusari-gama_ flying straight for his face. Despite his size, the chubby brunette rolled out of the way before charging towards Team Takagi's weapons specialist. Manyama leapt high into the air before snaking her chain scythe once again towards Chouji as he managed to dodge it once again. The Uzami _kunoichi_ twisted her body in mid-air as her chain scythe snaked down to the ground, creating a crack in the ground. Chouji rolled around while bouncing off the wall whereas Manyama remained completely airborne while trying to get her _kunai_ to stop him.

"Tsk, he's becoming a bit of a pain," Manyama recovered with a slight contortion in the air before flinging another set of flying _kunai_, finally stopping Chouji slightly. "There!"

Chouji immediately rolled out of the way as the _kunai_ pierced the rocky ground but only to be bound later on by the _kusari-gama_. "Wha - where did that come from?"

"_Uzami no Hijutsu,_"Manyama performed a set of seals, stabbing a silver blade into the ground. "_Shinigami no Kinraiden_!" [Death god's Golden Lightning]

The weaponry and spears sprouted from the ground as Chouji forcibly broke away from the chains using pure brute force. He dragged Manyama across the combat field as the _kunoichi _struggled to maintain a hold on _kusari-gama_. As she continued to be dragged, Manyama immediately pulled out a scroll before trying to unfurl it and write her blood across it. Chouji continued to roll around on the ground until the _kusari-gama's _chain snapped and sent Manyama flying and tumbling on the ground, allowing the Akimichi ninja to run around free. The Uzami _kunoichi_ tumbled out on the ground before watching Chouji bounce off the walls with abominable speed before rushing towards her again. Letting out a slight "eep", Manyama leapt high into the air as Chouji crashed into another random wall.

Manyama bit her lower lip anxiously, releasing two scrolls at once and spinning around. "Damn, this has to end now - _Jigoku Ryu no Enbu_!" [Waltz of the Hell Dragon]

As her scroll continued spinning engulfing her in a huge smoke and smog from the torinoko [smoke bombs], Manyama revealed multiple chains dancing around along with multiple crescent blades _kunai_ and _shuriken_ whirling around with her. Amongst the volley, five huge morning stars whirled around before knocking Chouji aside. Five hundred _kunai _shot straight at Chouji before revealing explosive tags, blowing straight into the ninja's face. The chubby ninja staggered back before placing his hands together, watching the hurling black tornado of weaponry.

"_Baika no Jutsu_," Chouji inflated himself into the huge ball once again before preparing to steamroll towards her. [Multi-Size Technique]

Manyama whirled around before flinging another set of _kunai_ as the black tornado slowly began to die down, revealing Chouji preparing to bring her down. The weapons specialist, despite trying to get herself together, found herself completely victim to the technique as her scrolls lay littered on the ground along with her weaponry. The Uzami member jumped away for a few moments as he started spinning faster and faster, delaying the launch time.

"_Nikudan Sensha_," Chouji rushed towards her before ramming her completely against the wall. [Human Bullet Tank]

Manyama winced at the agonizing pain biting through her body. She glanced once more at Chouji before noticing the Akimichi clan member completely reduced back to his normal size. Struggling to stand up, the Uzami _kunoichi_ pushed herself away from the wall before placing four scrolls on the ground.

"If this won't bring him down then," Manyama immediately began performing the seals. "Nothing will!"

Manyama focused her _chakra_ into the four scrolls before chanting softly.

_From the four corners_

_Of the sky, flash forth and sing_

_Earth, wind, fire and water!_

Izumi punched the rail while grinning in delight. "This is it - it's Manyama's finishing move!"

Ino stared in amazement and Ten-ten found herself amazed by the other weapon specialist of Konoha. Ten-ten believed that only she had the weaponry capability but didn't expect Manyama to unveil a whole set of attacks that involved placing elemental attributes. She noticed the scroll lighting up into a huge flame before taking notice of the three on the ground. One in the northern part started glowing green; the one on her left began glowing yellow while the one on her right started glowing blue.

Takagi folded his arms with a proud smile. "The Uzami clan never liked being exposed to war. Their forte lay more in laboratories and elemental experiments."

Manyama slammed her palms in the median of the four scrolls before crossing her arms over her chest and leaping high into the air. "_Shiten'nō no Hon: Bishamonten_!" [Book of the Four Deva: Bishamonten]

The scrolls blazed with a bright red colour as the _kunai_ that showered from the scroll lit up in flames, spearing the ground. Chouji leapt out of the way with his complexion paling with horror as more weaponry shot out. The first scroll blazed with a huge flame of burning weaponry as more _kunai_ crashed against the ground with spears and _shuriken. _The battlefield basically lit up ablaze as the sprinklers for the fire prevention spewed put water.

Ino leaned against the railing, jumping up and down. "Chouji, what the hell are you doing? RUN!"

Chouji barely managed to dodge the flying projectiles as he desperately tried to run away from the flaming weaponry. Challenging Manyama in an open field probably depicted how unfair the match up was. As the dark haired female finally stopped spinning revealing strings attached to her flaming weaponry.

"Mimi may be a better arsonist than me but I'm definitely more innovative," Manyama revealed the glistening strings before lighting up a match and setting off a chain of explosions. "_Bishamonten no Keiro: Moete Akuhou_!" [Bishamonten's Pathway: Flaming Retribution]

A huge explosion consumed Chouji as Manyama landed on the ground with a cocky grin. The scrolls limply fell to the ground before preparing to unleash the next two scrolls lying next to her.

"If it's anything Team Takagi's known for, we're known for the biggest amount of property destruction ever recorded!"

Ino twitched furiously at the smiling weapons specialist whereas Shikamaru seemed mildly amused. "She's crazy! What kind of _kunoichi_ prides herself on property destruction?!"

Shikamaru yawned before leaning against the railing. "She's cool..."

WHAT," Ino glared holes into her Nara clan teammate.

"Gah, never mind," Shikamaru rolled his eyes sarcastically at the blonde Yamanaka _kunoichi._ "Women are all troublesome. But, I'm worried more for Chouji. She had enough explosive tags in that scroll to blow up a building. I wonder where she managed to find that kind of material though."

Chouji lay on the ground completely smoked out as Manyama sharply exhaled while glancing at the fallen male. Manyama found her tattered scroll lying next to her as she smirked slightly. Her body dragged itself across the field after she deactivated the powers of the other three scrolls. She slung Chouji's arm over her shoulder before dragging him up the stairs.

"Winner is - Uzami Manyama!"

An applause echoed throughout the building as Manyama set Chouji on the ground, fighting the urge to collapse onto the ground. As his arm limply slipped off, she walked towards Izumi and patted lightly her on the shoulder.

"Tend to Chouji first," Manyama grinned sheepishly, walking past her crimson haired companion. "I think I overdid it with the explosive tags and fossil fuels. I loaded it also with enough gun powder to bring down a building."

Izumi stared at her incredulously. "Is that why we went hiking the other day?"

"Where else would you get the substance to light up these suckers into a napalm bomb," Manyama grinned before slipping on the ground, leaning against the wall. "Gah, lemme sleep."

As Manyama passed out, the next match was declared.

**Uzumaki Naruto**

**Vs.**

**Inuzuka Kiba**

Kiba stared in admonishment, letting out a disgusted groan. "What? You could have given me a better challenge!"

Naruto punched the air with a delighted grin on his face. "Oh yeah - I'm gonna win this, _dattebayo_!"

Kakashi laughed fondly before ruffling Naruto's spiky blonde hair. "Good luck Naruto."

Hinata on the other hand found herself very confused on who to cheer for. Naruto had been her idol ever since but Kiba was her teammate. Naruto often pushed her to keep working hard whereas Kiba had always been there to push her on missions. When she was depressed, Kiba or Naruto would light up her day instantly. The indigo haired Hyuuga heiress remained very bewildered as she watched the two boys face off against one another.

"Ohh, why does everything end up so confusing," Hinata slumped to the ground, hanging her head with a dejected sigh.

Kiba grinned as Akamaru jumped right next to him. "Let's go and win this Akamaru!"

Akamaru barked happily while Naruto nodded at him in determination. "Let's do this!

As the bell sounded off, Kiba immediately rushed in for the attack whereas Naruto forcibly pushed himself back to dodge the attacks. The Inuzuka clan member finally managed to land a slashing punch against the blonde boy's jaw, sending Naruto down to the ground. The fox immediately darted towards Kiba before landing a kick right beneath the latter's jaw.

Kiba scoffed with a smug look on his face. "What kind of moron would go for a dream like that if he can't even do the simplest techniques? What a joke!"

Naruto punched Kiba against the cheek before pummelling him down to the ground. "I'm going to wipe off that smirk if it's the last thing I'll ever do! I'm going to become Hokage no matter what!"

Kurenai continued to watch both boys continue their offensive tactics. She knew Kiba may have some advantage due to his speed and physical attributes but Naruto had tenacity. If anything, the former failure of Konoha outdid anyone through his tenacity and overwhelming lack of _chakra_ control. According to some of the rumours running around, Kurenai found Naruto being able to handle a Chasing Ninja on his own despite one of his teammates being brought down. Redirecting a swirl of _chakra_ definitely was no easy feat either. Everything he did despite their brute stupidity and simple brute force won him his victories and achievements.

"This might be good, for both Kiba and Naruto," Kurenai smiled before leaning against the wall.

However, the battle seemed more in favour of the Inuzuka clan member as Kiba somersaulted over Naruto before throwing him over his shoulder. The fox managed to twist his body before landing on the ground clumsily but immediately recovered to resume his attack against Kiba. Akamaru launched itself at Naruto as he tried to bite him only to miss as the blonde hyperactive ninja leapt high into the air and collided into Kiba's jaw with his fist. Inuzuka clan member slammed his leg against Naruto's shoulder and sent him straight to the ground with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Why did I have to end up fighting a failure like you," Kiba dodged Naruto's attempts to punch him effortlessly. "I signed up for better stuff – not dip heads like you!"

Naruto glared holes back at the other male, wiping the blood from his teeth. "I'm not a failure! I'M JUST GETTING WARMED UP!"

Kiba scoffed darkly while watching Naruto continuing to rush him down. "Let's see. If I end up beating you, I'll become Hokage FOR you!"

"DON'T YOU DARE! KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU," Naruto sent in a whole barrage of clones, all with their fists drawn back.

"Ha, as if," Kiba positioned himself on all fours with Akamaru standing on his back. "_Shikakyu no Jutsu_!" [Four Legged Technique]

Despite the multiple squadrons of Naruto clones, Kiba immediately got on the ground before placing his hands together and reinforced his claws with _chakra_. "_Gatsuga_!" [Piercing Fang]

Kiba spun around with a viciously ripping tornado as it pummelled through Naruto's clones with much ease. With each "poof" sounding off, Naruto created more clones while trying to punch and land a hit on Kiba. However, the beast specialist ripped through Naruto's attacks with berserker-like speed as smoke began to fill the arena. Naruto got pummelled straight towards the wall as landed his _Gatsuga_ right on Naruto's gut. The blonde ninja tumbled back into the wall where Manyama had previously landed as debris and rubble fell right next to him.

"Naruto," Sakura stared in horror as she noticed blood trickling down Naruto's lip.

Taichi pounded the railing, jumping up and down from the second floor. "Naruto, come on! He's got nothing on us! He's just a dog! Foxes are supposed to pwn these guys!"

Kiba glared angrily at the navy bluenette male. "Hey, I'm from the Inuzuka clan! Show me some respect!"

Taichi grinned goofily before pulling down his eye-bag with his tongue sticking out. "In your dreams, dog breath!"

Naruto slowly rose to his feet before grinning at his best friend. "Thanks Taichi! I needed that!

Kiba, noticing at the blonde ninja finally rose to his feet, scoffed with a taunting smirk. "Is that the best you can do!?"

Naruto wiped the blood from his lip before giving him a determined grin. "No way, that was only the start!"

Kiba smirked darkly as he pulled out a small pill, tossing it to Akamaru. "Good, because Akamaru and I were getting bored!"

Naruto blinked several times, staring incredulously at the small dog as its fur slowly began to turn red. "Eh? I thought he was always greyish brown?"

Kiba grinned triumphantly, noticing Akamaru's growl getting more fierce. "Nope. Every time he gains strength, his fur becomes red. Watch."

Akamaru barked loudly as its fur became a deep crimson with its canine eyes staring sharply at Naruto. The blonde ninja staggered back a bit at the volume as Kiba nodded at the small dog. Akamaru pounced towards Naruto before clawing at the boy's face. With a slight yelp, Naruto shoved Akamaru away only to have Kiba land a kick against Naruto's stomach. Akamaru however suddenly changed into Kiba and was snarling at Naruto. The fox curled his fist tightly and he was biting his lip.

Naruto raised his hand and directed his punch at Kiba. "I'm going to become Hokage and no one is going to stop me!"

Naruto charged towards the Inuzuka pair but Kiba and Akamaru ran off with wolf-like speed and threw smoke bombs on the floor and confused Naruto in a big mess. Smoke covered the entire arena as the blonde haired boy started staggering through the mess blindly. His body shivered fearfully while seeking out the shadows but nothing showed up despite the light. Without a mirage to guide him, Naruto kept his hands in front of him while seeing his way through the fog.

Naruto winced slightly as his eyes began to tear and his lungs began to clog up. "Hey where are you?"

"Heh, what's the point in telling you when I'm gonna beat the shit out of you? This is one of my more favourite techniques – the _Garoga_!" [Double Piercing Fang]

Without any time to react, Naruto spiralled up into the air and ended up on the floor, sprawled out like a slug. Naruto got up weakly on his knees before getting clobbered again in the stomach by the same technique, being flung against the cement wall. Naruto struggled to get up but the smoke once again clogged up his vision as Kiba and Akamaru slammed into him consecutively, sending him high into the air. Naruto slammed straight into the ground but despite the beating, managed to get up.

"Che, that better not be all you've got," Naruto smirked while dusting his bright orange jumpsuit.

Kiba hissed darkly, revealing more smoke bombs.

Kiba fogged up Naruto's vision once more before swirling around once again to unleash another _Garoga_. Everyone waited for the impact but there was no sound. When the smoke faded, there were now three Kiba's. The Inuzuka clan member stared in astonishment and admonishment at the uncanny resemblance. Everyone in the hallways was astounded that Naruto had shown a spark of intelligence in him. Sasuke knew him as a brainless blubber nut; Sakura thought he was a brat, Kakashi thought he was quite nerving at first until Naruto's performance greatly improved.

Kiba bared his fangs viciously, revealing his claws. "Which one of you is Akamaru!?"

None of them responded.

Snorting in annoyance, Kiba narrowed his eyes for a quicker and hopefully a more accurate analysis. He checked their appearance to notice any glitch, remembering how pathetic Naruto was in controlling his own _chakra_. Much to his chagrin, both seemed the same including their scent much to his annoyance. However, Kiba prompted for a gamble as he punched one squarely in the face. A huge grin appeared on his face but soon changed into a face of horror as he found Akamaru completely sprawled out on the floor. The Inuzuka clan teenager stared aghast and horror before turning his gaze towards the other Kiba that stood in front of him.

He curled his hand into a fist, spitting venomously. "How dare you make me punch my own dog!"

The moment he punched the other one, he soon found two Akamaru's lying on the ground. Kiba glanced at his fists before shaking his head violently. How could he hit his own partner TWICE? It made no sense! Kiba stared at the fallen bodies for a few moments until something sank its teeth into his arm. Angrily, he swung the dog aside as the disguise fell away and revealed Naruto. The blonde ninja grinned as he finally managed to land a clean punch of Kiba's face as the Inuzuka clan member forced himself to stagger away.

Kakashi nodded in approval, watching Naruto stumble back before launching himself for an attack. "Very clever. He used his own Genjutsu techniques to overwhelm Kiba… and I thought he could only come up with perverted ones."

"YOU BASTARD," Kiba brandished his claws and fangs before launching himself at Naruto, only to hear something that conspicuously came out of the basement. "YAAAAAGH! THE STENCH! IT'S HORRIBLE!"

Everyone stared in admonishment as Kiba drew back revolted from his own opponent. What did Naruto eat before the match anyway?

"Thanks for the advice, Taichi," Naruto grinned mischievously at his fellow _jinchuuriki_.

Taichi rubbed his nose with a cocky smirk. "Mexican instant cook burritos work every time!"

Sakura blushed ten shades out of embarrassment. "NARUTO, YOUR MANNERS!"

Kurenai sighed deeply at Naruto's sudden stroke of luck. "Kiba's nose is greatly enhanced by chakra. It makes it a hundred times better than it actually is. But… if the smell is too strong, it would obviously overwhelm Kiba."

Kiba held his nose while staggering back completely revolted. "What the hell-?"

Naruto now had a determined look sparkling in his bright blue eyes. "Now I have you where I want you! Here I go!"

Naruto created clones as they all rushed in towards Kiba. Completely stunned and horrified, the beast specialist staggered back as Naruto's blow came from his clones and he. A punch came from the left side along with another coming from the right. Kiba nearly fell over as he tried to defend only to have Naruto to kick him straight up in the air.

"U-ZU-MA-KI," Naruto grinned as he leapt high into the air with his leg crashing against Kiba's shoulder. "Naruto Rendan!"

Kiba crashed onto the ground with a loud _crash_, completely helpless. Naruto landed down with a triumphant grin as Hayate moved over to check on Kiba to check whether or not he still had the capability to stand up. However, he swung his hand towards Naruto finally declaring.

"The winner is Uzumaki Naruto!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 18 guys! Sorry for the late revision! Please review!**


	19. Dance of the Falling Flowers

**Me: I don't own Naruto!**

Chapter 19 – Dance of the Falling Flowers

Naruto jumped up and down gleefully while clapping his feet up together, declaring his victory over Kiba. The audience remained astonished and stupefied as Naruto started dashing up the stairs with the other people placing Kiba on the stretcher. Hinata smiled demurely while hiding her expression from the hyperactive blonde ninja, instantly feeling the heat climbing up her cheeks. The indigo haired Hyuuga heiress barely said anything before inching silently towards the fallen Kiba and handing him some ointment for his wounds.

"K-Kiba-kun," Hinata swallowed hard while handing the small urn of ointment. "This should help with your wounds…"

The Inuzuka clan member grinned reassuringly at the Hyuuga female. "Eh, don't worry too much about me. I've been through worse. You should give some to Naruto though. He looks worse than I do."

Hinata once again swallowed hard when she watched her target of affection walking towards his team members before giving a blow to blow perspective of what happened to Taichi. She whimpered softly at her predicament; both hyperactive cheerful boys together and they were too engrossed in the match to even notice anything else. Taichi boisterously began laughing out loud at Naruto's expression whereas the hyperactive blonde male jumped onto the taller boy and both ended up clumsily falling onto the ground.

"Good job, Naruto," Sakura smiled approvingly at her teammate, clapping her hands in approval and recognition.

Naruto saluted Sakura with his usual determined and cheery grin. "Thanks, Sakura! Although," – he suddenly began looking around only to see that Sasuke and Kakashi were both missing. "Hey Sakura, have you seen Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke?"

"Come to think of it," Mimi began looking around, finding that even Izumi had gone missing. "Where's the red head? Izumi said she just wanted to go to the bathroom."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Meanwhile, Kakashi pulled out a few scrolls before drafting out a few seals on the ground with his kunai. He sighed deeply as another sweat trickled down his face while the echoes of scratching and scrawling echoed throughout the stone walls. Several scrolls lay on the ground with the blue flames dimly lighting the room whereas Sasuke remained in the middle of the room without his shirt on and his cursed seal completely exposed.

Sasuke coldly snorted whereas scratching the area where his cursed seal was in annoyance. "What's this supposed to do?"

Kakashi sighed deeply before finishing up the final marking on the ground. "This is supposed to help keep your new 'vampire bite' in check. If you lose control, no one knows what the effects could be. However…"

Sasuke looked up and Kakashi whistled in achievement before walking towards the male Uchiha, preparing to place on the seal. "The seal I'm about to put on you is strengthened by your willpower. If you lose control of your will, the curse will spread rapidly. Secondly, make sure you grit your teeth. This ritual hurts like anything."

Sasuke coldly dismissed the thought, waving off the silver haired Jounin's warnings. "Forget about that. Just put it on already."

Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly and sighed dejectedly before performing the seals with intense concentration, watching the seals and characters glowing around them. "Don't say I didn't warn you - _O Fuin no Jutsu_." (Subdue Sealing technique)

The characters written all over Sasuke's body crawled towards the cursed seal and Sasuke immediately clamped his mouth shot as an electrifying pain shot throughout his body. His eyes widened while he felt his insides being melted and torn apart by the raging of the several characters trying to subdue the seal on his back. The male Uchiha focused in trying to stay awake but his whole body racked with intensifying agony which sent him sprawling on the floor, howling in pain. Kakashi immediately tried blocking out Sasuke's agonized cries of pain as he continued trying to subdue the cursed mark which instantly began fighting back the sealing, causing the flames to whirl around out of control. The lights flickered rapidly until the cursed seal began to retract its infection and allow subjugation. On the other hand, the stress inflicted on Sasuke's body sent the said boy to the ground and prompted to pass out completely.

Wiping the sweat off his brow, Kakashi sighed deeply with relief. "That was tiring…"

"Well done, Hatake Kakashi," a malicious voice echoed throughout the darkness. "I didn't expect you to have that much knowledge."

Kakashi immediately swivelled around and saw Orochimaru with his beady yellow eyes, preparing to draw out his kunai. "Orochimaru, it's quite a surprise that you're here."

The serpentine sannin smiled maliciously with his golden reptilian eyes trailing towards the fallen male Uchiha. "Well, I see you have subdued the seal. But, that boy will come to me. Remember that, Kakashi. He will be looking for power. That boy has a vengeful desire and I too, want something from him."

Kakashi glared holes into Orochimaru, curling his hand into a fist. "The _Sharingan_ will not just obey anybody. If Sasuke – a direct descendant can barely keep it in tabs, what more you who doesn't even have any basic or prior knowledge for its activation?"

Orochimaru let out a hollow chuckle before striding around them, circling them with a predatory gaze. "Oh don't worry; I've learned enough by observing his older brother. Itachi-kun is better off for observation and Kohaku didn't do me much either despite being one of Itachi-kun's equals. Henceforth, it left me with two options: the little dirty mouthed brat and Sasuke-kun. Mimi-chan's already a handful as is since even her own sensei can't keep her swearing and cursing under control and her _Mangenkyou_ _Sharingan_ – tsk, it's a horrible , Sasuke-kun's ideals align more with my own to make things a lot… easier. What would a child look for in order to deliver his vengeance? Of course… it's power…!"

Imagining the four standing next to one another, Kakashi could imagine the kind of prowess both Uchiha Kohaku and Uchiha Itachi had. Itachi had become a Chuunin faster than anyone else in his graduating batch and began commanding an ANBU squad at the age of sixteen. Nobody in the current generation had that kind of prowess – Itachi had an excellent blend of everything. Kohaku stood merely a fraction of an inch away from him – according to stories if Kohaku had been less outspoken and rebellious, Konohagakure would have had the two best military attack dogs under their wing. Kakashi mildly admitted one thing; Sasuke was leagues away from Itachi. It would take more than just simple training to get to Itachi's level of combat. If Sasuke could barely keep up with Mimi's unchained barrage of attacks, what more Itachi? No wonder – Sasuke still remained as raw clay.

Kakashi frowned darkly as all the pieces fell together. "With the _Mangenkyou_ _Sharingan_, she proved to also be an impossible goal. So, you went for the one with the 'unawakened' _Sharingan_. Mimi's spirit is similar to her older brother's; the very same man who managed to crush Manda easily without much effort and never even used the _Mangenkyou_ _Sharingan_ unless necessary. Itachi was more for the quick kills and instant matches. Kohaku was a psychological player…"

Suddenly, the door slammed open with Izumi staring in shock and horror when she saw Sasuke's naked body on the ground. Orochimaru's predatory smile didn't help ease things up either as Kakashi flung a kunai towards the wall, inches away from her face. The red haired Yamanaka clan member immediately shot up fearfully before retracting with horror.

Kakashi clucked his tongue, gesturing for the female to leave. "Don't get the wrong idea. Forget you saw this! Go!"

Inaudibly and wordlessly, Izumi darted away from the room completely unsure of what to do.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As Naruto and Taichi managed to give a blow to blow perspective about battling, Mimi yawned slightly before slumping onto the ground completely bored next to her older step brother. Gray on the other hand began carefully peeling off the bandages and wrappings Izumi had applied a few hours before his match, wincing at the sticky feeling as his blood's adhesive properties stuck his bandages to his skin. Everyone remained quiet as they waited for the next match to come up.

"Geez, I'm bored," Mimi whined to her older brother, playing with strands of her hair. "Can I braid your hair?"

"No," Gray flinched as he peeled off a few more wrappings, placing them in a neat pile next to him. "I don't look good with dreadlocks."

"But I'm bored," Mimi pouted childishly until a loud ding caught her attention. "Eh?"

**Uchiha Mimi**

**Vs.**

**Tsuchi Kin**

Mimi gawked at the name for a moment before whining incessantly to her older brother. "Aww, couldn't they have given me a better challenge?"

Gray sighed dejectedly at his younger Uchiha step sister, rolling his eyes sarcastically. "Just go, Mimi."

Responding with an indignant huff, the female Uchiha slid down the stair banister childishly while Kin simply glared at her for not being serious at all. The female sound ninja strutted towards the female Uchiha who carelessly and nonchalantly began picking her ear and flicking the ear wax away with an uninterested yawn. Takagi could only sigh in defeat at his adoptive daughter as Mimi started playing with the strands of her hair without even bothering to spare the Otogakure kunoichi a glance or at least pretend to look interested in the match.

Kin brandished a set of needles with a darkened threatening gaze. "You better take me seriously or else I'll kill you!"

Mimi yawned nonchalantly before shrugging carelessly, waving her away dismissively. "Yeah yeah, you're getting annoying. Do you do anything else but talk?"

Kin tightened her grip on the needles before hurling them straight at Mimi, ignoring the calls of the referee. "That's it! End of the line!"

Without any effort, the female Uchiha carelessly and lazily tilted her head to the side as the needles zoomed past her head. The Konohagakure kunoichi yawned disinterestedly while avoiding more punches being thrown at her. Kin struggled to land a punch or a kick to which Mimi nonchalantly contorted her body to dodge and evade without even bothering to seize the opportunity to attack. Mimi sidestepped effortlessly while tapping the back of the girl's head, prompting her to fall forward.

Mimi scoffed darkly with a cocky smirk. "You know, you're not even worth my breath. All I have to do is run around until you break psychologically, ya know? Or better yet – let's just do this quick and easy, ne?"

The moment Kin turned around to face Mimi; the Uchiha gave her strict eye contact as the _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ swirled around with the female Otogakure ninja falling backwards. Kin screamed in agony and fear as Mimi on the other hand chuckled gleefully with the opposing kunoichi rolling on the ground, begging for mercy. The female Uchiha refused to relent until Takagi gave her a disapproving gaze. With a slight pout and purse of her lips, Mimi immediately killed off the Jutsu with a slight shrug.

"Mou, you guys are no fun," the female Uchiha pouted before leaving a twitching Kin on the ground.

Watching her walk up the stairs, everyone stared at her strangely as the female Uchiha fell to the ground next to her older step brother with a huge cheerful grin. The elder brother on the other hand sighed dejectedly at the result while looking at Mimi's so called "innocent" smile. Izumi on the other hand returned nearby and took her seat next to Gray.

"You need help with that," Izumi raised an eyebrow as Gray desperately tried untangling himself from the mummified mess he made for himself. "Forget I asked, let me do it."

Gray sheepishly scratched his head. "Well, that's what happens when you leave Mimi and I to fix ourselves."

"You're both crazy, you know that," Izumi sighed dejectedly at her two teammates.

Takagi groaned at the anticipated paperwork and interrogations, glancing at the three teammates try to patch themselves up. "Oh boy, she's going to be recommended for Asylum treatment again."

Before the sensei could continue his trail of thought, he glanced up towards the board.

**Haruno Sakura**

**Vs.**

**Yamanaka Ino**

Everyone gasped at the sight and Sakura and Ino glared at each other. The pink haired kunoichi glared darkly at the blonde teen as the tension between the both of them began to increase. Sakura bit her lower lip anxiously, never expecting that her opponent would be the Yamanaka Ino. Her former best friend and rival in love for Sasuke's affections... Sakura knew if they had to settle things - this was the best way they could get it.

Ino, noticing Sakura's glare, chuckled darkly with a smug grin. "I never knew you would be my opponent, Sakura."

The pink haired ninja cracked her knuckles, returning the intensity of Ino's gaze with a stronger glare. "I'll beat you, Ino. I'm extremely different from who I used to be!"

Ino and Sakura proceeded downstairs without exchanging words with one another whereas the whole audience remained completely silent. Their rivalry had been long known throughout Konohagakure and if anything, two girls had been completely obsessed in winning Sasuke's affections since the day their friendship started. Many boys had flirted with Ino for being the prettiest and probably the best known kunoichi (although many people insisted that Mimi would floor her in the combative department if not for her psychotic sadistic streaks) in Konohagakure whereas Sakura had been known highly more for her brains and never her looks

"This match is definitely going to be more than your average fight," Asuma folded his arms with a defeated sigh.

Kakashi folded his arms in observation, seemingly rebuking the other sensei. "I know, Asuma. Let's just hope that they don't go overboard."

Naruto watched them before jumping up and down. "Go for it, Sakura!"

"Finish her off, Ino," Izumi punched the air with a huge grin.

Sakura hissed venomously at the red haired Yamanaka kunoichi. "Watch it, tomato head!"

Izumi rolled her eyes sarcastically, sticking out her tongue. "Tell me that after you've beaten her!"

Seeing how things could escalate, Manyama whacked the upside of Izumi's head. "Please calm down, Izumi. You've been yelling ever since awhile ago."

Pursing her lips childishly, the red haired Yamanaka female stalked towards the wall whereas Mimi grinned determinedly to her other teammates. "Alright guys, place your bets. Who's gonna win this?"

Gray finally managed to clean up his bandages before standing up to join them. "I'm voting none. They'll knock each other out – double K.O."

Taichi punched the air with a huge grin. "I'm betting on Sakura!"

Manyama shrugged with a slight smile. "I guess I'll bet on Ino considering she was the best in our class."

Mimi rubbed her hands together devilishly with delight. "Okay, whoever's right avoids training for a week."

Taichi raised an eyebrow at the scheming Uchiha kunoichi. "And if we lose?"

Mimi gave him a 'v' sign with a confident smirk. "We're doing double the effort."

Overhearing the four starting to get involved in a bet, Takagi smoothly strode over before ruffling Mimi's hair. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I'll be the one to judge. Mimi, place your bet."

Mimi folded her arms with all certainty, smirking confidently with her bet. "I say Ino's going to win."

Izumi flipped her long crimson hair back. "Yeah, my cousin's better than her! Ino was the valedictorian in our class when we all graduated."

Takagi looked at Gray as the coffee blonde male chuckled mischievously with a dark drawl. "All or nothing on my end – I'm voting for a double knock-out."

Blinking several times out of shock and disbelief, Takagi sighed at his team members before counting the bets. "Okay, one for Sakura, one abstain, two for Ino and one tie. Gray, are you sure you wanna make that bet? You can't use Byakuggan to cheat your way out of this one."

"I don't need to," Gray shrugged nonchalantly before leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

As the match began, Sakura and Ino looked at each other strictly at the eyes for a few moments. As the silence soon descended, Sakura charged at Ino and threw kunai at her before preparing to rush towards with a punch for the face. Sliding backwards for defence, Ino immediately grabbed one of the kunai before using both of them to deflect the other two. Seeing Sakura running towards her with a couple of punches prepared, Ino ducked before pushing herself over for a spinning kick. Sakura narrowly evaded the attack with her other leg flying over for a kick which collided with Ino's arm. However, the blonde Yamanaka female immediately found an opening and prepared to punch her until a crisp slapping sound echoed in the air. Both girls momentarily froze as Sakura rubbed the sore spot on her cheek and Ino stared in disbelief.

Seeing Ino's hesitance, Sakura giggled darkly before mocking her. "It's sad having a rival that always concentrates on her looks."

Ino immediately fumed before shoving Sakura back roughly. "What do you mean!?"

Sakura remained completely smug before gesturing to Ino's long blonde hair. "It's so sad. I can just grab it and rip it off your head."

Much to everyone's surprise, Ino remained completely unhesitant and drew out her kunai to instantly saw off the long ponytail she had prided herself so much on. As blonde strands of hair fell to the ground, the Yamanaka kunoichi twitched slightly at Sakura's unchanged expression before throwing all her hair into her opponent's face. Gray blinked several times in surprise as crush basically cut all her long blonde hair off. He remembered constantly how she would use it to flirt with Sasuke and boys from all over the classroom would stare at her long glossy blonde hair.

Angrily, Ino pitched her huge bundle of blonde hair at her rival. "Eat this, Haruno!"

As the blonde strands fell onto the ground, Sakura chuckled darkly while staring at her beadily with her emerald green eyes. "You're so simple minded."

Seeing her hair scattered out on the ground, Ino put her forehead protector on her forehead and so did Sakura. Silence descended in between them as both girls remained completely frozen as their stances lowered into battle stances. Their gazes remained completely unrelenting as people were unable to say a word to break the thickening tension between the two females. Without any warning, their feet sprinted into action with both girls charging towards one another. Soon, Ino and Sakura began wrestling one another as each tried to push the other back.

Sakura performed the _Bunshin no Jutsu_, running towards Ino. "You're not bringing me down!"

Biting her lower lip, Ino inwardly cursed before looking deeply into each of the clones' eyes. "I just have to look closer in order to break the technique."

However, Sakura's fist connected with Ino's jaw first and sent the poor girl spiralling towards the ground. Ino however managed to recover before throwing a kick towards the pink haired kunoichi's abdomen, forcing Sakura to stagger back as she tried to lay more hits. As their fists and hits connected, memories began to flood back.

_(1st flashback: Sakura's lonely)_

It was in the mid afternoon and a little girl was running away. Tears streamed down her face as she desperately tried to find her way home despite the blurry vision caused by her tears.

A voice mocked loudly enough for the whole alleyway to hear. "Big forehead girl!"

Another voice jeered throughout the sunset skies. "Go home, you freak!"

"Yeah, you're ugly!"

The girl decided to hide herself among the trees, whimpering softly at the impacts of their jeers and taunts. Seeing as they finally quit chasing her, the smaller pink haired girl peeked out weakly while watching the other three girls who had been mocking and teasing her walking away with hearty laughters. Her tiny body trembled in humiliation as she weakly trod out of the clump of trees. No one showed up much to her relief as she started to make her way home.

"Hey," – a voice caused Sakura to jump as she found a blonde girl standing behind her. "Where did you come from and who are you?"

Sakura shivered fearfully, averting her teary gaze away from the blonde female. "Um, I'm sorry. I just wanted to go home..."

The blonde little girl twitched a little before folding her arms with a slight frown. "What's your name?"

Sakura swallowed hard. "M-my name's H-Haruno S-Sakura..."

Noticing Sakura's bangs all over her face, Ino shuffled through her pocket and pulled out a red ribbon and handed it to the pink haired girl. "Here, this should help you see well. Your bangs just make it harder for you to see you know."

Shakily accepting the ribbon, Sakura weakly raised her head to meet the blue eyed girl's gaze. "T-Thank you but who are you?"

The girl grinned happily. "I'm Yamanaka Ino; would you like to join me?"

Surprised and flabbergasted with joy, Sakura weakly took Ino's hand as the blonde girl dragged her along to meet her friends. Sakura found herself for once happy for accepting the red ribbon that now had been fashioned into a headband.

(2nd flashback: Ninja class)

A middle aged bespectacled woman led all the _kunoichi_ into an open field and meadow full of flowers. Sakura stared in amazement while standing next to Ino who didn't seem the least bit perturbed or surprised or astonished about the size of the field. On the other hand, Iruka had taken the ninjas to the other side to deal with the more manly things. Sakura smiled shyly at the black haired male Uchiha who had passed by as Ino suddenly began dragging her along.

"Today I want you to gather all the flowers you can find okay," the bespectacled woman smiled accommodatingly to the small _kunoichi_, reminding them gently. "Make sure to not get too many and to watch out for the poisonous ones."

"Hai, Suzune-_sensei_," all the girls chorused happily before spreading out to pick out some flowers.

Sakura and Ino went along together as the pink haired _kunoichi _noticed a yellow bell sprouting from the side of the tree. "Ino-_chan_, what's this supposed to be?"

Ino spun around to find Sakura strangely fascinated by the yellow flower hanging from the vines on the tree. "That's a yellow bell. Pretty isn't it?"

As the pair continued along and started picking out flowers, Sakura immediately froze when a voice snapped at her.

"Hey forehead girl!"

Sakura slightly whimpered before slowly turning around to face the three girls standing behind her.

"This is our spot so get lost," the girl with shaggy pigtails snorted angrily at the pink haired girl.

Annoyed and pretty much disturbed, Ino glared before preparing to pull out a few flowers in one hand. "You have no right to push her around!"

Scoffing with a dark sneer, the girl snorted and jabbed her finger angrily at Ino. "So you're with her now, Yamanaka? If so, then you also get out of our way!"

Pretty much exasperated and annoyed by the band of girls, Ino showed no hesitance in throwing a small set of purple flowers towards her which promptly got stuck in the girl's mouth. The other girls stared in astonishment as Ino showed no signs of flinching whatsoever. The girls gasped loudly as the group bullying them stared weirdly at the purple flowers stuck in their leader's mouth.

"What is this?"

Ino grinned mischievously, trying her best to stifle her laughter. "Those are aconites, they're very poisonous. Pretty yet deadly in a way."

The girls completely paled before staring back at her, mortified and screaming. "SUZUNE-_SENSEI_, HEEEEELP!"

Sakura, staring in astonishment, blinked several times completely dumbstruck by Ino's innovativeness. "That was cool! You combined your shuriken throwing style with flowers! But, is that really poisonous?"

Ino finally burst out laughing, seeing the three bullies crying. "They're a bunch of dummies that don't know that only the roots of the aconites are poisonous!"

Seeing her friend burst out laughing, Sakura began giggling along with her as both her and Ino rolled on the ground in fits of laughter. "That was hilarious! You saw their faces!"

Trying her best to control her fits of laughter, Sakura smiled proudly while watching Ino look at the flowers carefully and meticulously. "So, Ino, have you always been like this with flowers?"

Ino pondered for a few moments before flashing a confident smile. "Sakura-chan, I always describe flowers with people. Like me, I'm more like a camellia because it's yellow and it has many petals meaning, I have many great personalities!"

Sakura's mouth formed a small 'o' until her expression became a lot more crestfallen. "If Ino's a camellia, then…what am I?"

Noticing Sakura's sober face, Ino flicked her forehead before flashing her a grin. "You're still a bud, Sakura."

Sakura blinked several times, staring dumbly at her friend. "A bud?"

Ino repeated while sitting next to her and staring into the skies. "Yeah, a bud. No one knows yet how you're going to be or what you're going to be. Who knows? Maybe you'll be better than me!"

(End of flashbacks)

As both blows continued to be exchanged, Ino staggered back before throwing another punch towards Sakura. The pink haired female jumped back and spun around for a spin kick to throw Ino aside only to have the blonde girl sidestep and try to land another kick. However, Sakura ducked and went for a scissor kick much to Ino's annoyance as she managed to jump away and create a distance between them. Everyone remained amazed by the two girls and each of their speeds along with the commitment in each of their strikes.

Ino bit her lower lip anxiously, breathing heavily. "You've certainly changed, Sakura."

"You too, Ino."

Narrowing her eyes, Ino put up her signature hand seal. "But, you're still not good enough to beat me!"

Asuma shook his head, staring at his student as if she had gone bonkers. _She must be crazy! What Ino's doing is suicide!_

Shikamaru bit his lower lip, watching the tables slowly tip into Sakura's favour. "Ino's technique has a low chance of succeeding. But if the person is bound, that's the only time when her accuracy increases."

Chouji was eating his chips, offering Taichi some which the Silver Dragon gratefully took. "That's the _Shintenshin no Jutsu_ (Art of the Valentine), right Izumi?"

Izumi facepalmed in annoyance at her cousin, stamping her foot angrily. "Ino you idiot – what kind of moron performs the _Shintenshin no Jutsu_ with no binding technique!?"

Sakura chuckled with a hollow smile, preparing to dart away from Ino's line of fire. "I can avoid it. The _Shintenshin no Jutsu_ (Art of the Valentine) can only run in a straight line, plus it takes long for the soul to go back to its original body. That makes you too vulnerable, Ino."

Her blonde opponent clucked her tongue while focusing her _chakra_. "I know. But, I'll still try!"

Sakura immediately darted away as she prepared to attack Ino in her vulnerable state. As she circled around Ino, Sakura soon found herself completely unable to move with the blonde strands of hair eerily glowing with bright blue _chakra_.

Ino smirked under her shaded eyes, increasing the power of _chakra_ on the hair. "You're trapped."

Sakura looked at her and saw the floor before staring in horror, silently berating herself for not seeing anything sooner. She saw that the floor was emitting chakra wires to bind both her legs coming from Ino's hair, forcing herself to try and break it but to no avail.

Ino snickered at Sakura's helplessness. "Simple technique. _Kami Nawa No Jutsu_ otherwise known as the 'hair binding technique'. Surprised Sakura, as to why I easily cut off my hair?"

Sakura struggled to move but no avail as Ino's hair formed a wired-like pathway to bind her legs together. The pink haired _kunoichi_ kicked violently against the strings only to have her body waist down completely paralysed and frozen as Ino finally managed to maintain Sakura completely immobile.

Ino performed the seals with a victorious smirk. "This is it, _Shintenshin no Jutsu_!" (Art of the Valentine)

As Ino's spirit left her body, Sakura could do nothing but end up on the receiving end of her attack as the blonde Yamanaka's body slumped down to the ground.

Kakashi whistled. "Hou~, what now?"

Mimi punched the air victoriously with a smirk. "Hah! I win the bet!"

Taichi pummelled his head into the railing. "Noooooo! Extra training!"

Takagi immediately silenced the two, looking closely at the match. "Hold it! There's something else."

As the silence became increasingly unbearable, Sakura slowly raised her head with a smug smirk. "Humph, that was too easy."

Naruto stared in mortification and horror. "Sakura-chan!"

Ino slowly raised her arm up with a snigger. "How annoying. I, Haruno Sakura…"

Naruto shook his head in denial, jumping up and down. "Fight her Sakura! Fight her!"

Ino clucked her tongue at Naruto's yelling but this gave Sakura hope. Suddenly, Sakura's body completely froze out of nowhere as she started twitching and shaking into an epileptic shock. Sakura staggered back as she began clutching her head. Ino's body on the other hand remained completely motionless whereas Ino's spirit started struggling with Sakura's.

Hayate however remained completely unfazed to what was happening. "Are you conceding to defeat or not?"

_(Inside Sakura)_

Much to Ino's surprise, the Outer Sakura had been completely different in comparison to the Inner Sakura who practically revealed to be the complete opposite. The blonde Yamanaka _kunoichi_ steadily walked through the darkness as there remained nothing but silence. However, winds suddenly began to howl as a screech echoed in the air.

"HOW DARE YOU INFILTRATE MY MIND, INO!"

Staring up completely aghast, Ino found herself completely struggling against Sakura's alter ego. Instead of the smaller and normal sized Sakura, Ino found herself facing a huge spirit form that easily flung her aside. The blonde _kunoichi_ struggled to get up as Sakura began crushing her in her huge fist.

"Get the hell out of my mind or I will destroy you," Inner Sakura unleashed an unearthly wail before slamming Ino against the floor in her own mind.

(Outside)

Realizing she had no other choice but to leave due to low _chakra_, Ino forcibly formed the cancel seal before casting herself away from Sakura's body. Fair enough, Sakura regained her ownership over her body while Ino had been forcibly ejected into her own body. As the two remained completely exhausted and low on _chakra_, Ino stared darkly at the heavily breathing Sakura as both _kunoichi_ struggled to get back on their feet.

Ino panted heavily before getting up, narrowing her eyes. "Just who are you, Sakura…?"

With no bind and completely out of _chakra_, both girls resorted to using brute force. Sakura lunged forward for a punch with Ino simultaneously preparing to knock her out. As their punches flew, they missed each other's fists and hit their desired target. Both of them got hit squarely in the face, sending both Ino and Sakura flying with their forehead guards clattering onto the ground. Silence descended on all of them as Sakura and Ino both lay unconscious on the ground.

Hayate checked them both, standing up to declare. "This match ends with a double knock out."

Taichi blinked several times incredulously, wondering how Gray suddenly became so spot on. "Whoa, how the hell did you do that?"

Gray shrugged nonchalantly before admitting mildly. "Dude, I just guessed. I actually wanted to lose."

Manyama blinked disbelievingly at the outcome before shooting a darkened glare towards Gray. "What the hell are you – a clairvoyant?"

"Stop getting mad at me," Gray raised his hands up in surrender, staring aghast at the two cousins. "I didn't even know they would clobber each other at the same time!"

Takagi chuckled smoothly, ruffling Gray's spiky hair. "Okay. So, Gray wins the bet and you guys will all do extra training."

"NO FAIR," all of them in exception to Gray slumped onto the ground with a sigh.

Both _Jounin_ leapt off the second floor before glancing at one another with an approving smile. Both girls remained completely bruised and dirtied in their _sensei_'s arms as their breathing slowly calmed down into a normal sleep breathing pattern.

"I guess Ino just needed a little push huh, Kakashi," Asuma chuckled lightly before leaping up towards the balcony once again.

Kakashi on the other hand smirked before bringing Sakura up towards the others. "I didn't know the unreliable Sakura would push herself this far... Hmmm, I guess she just needed a stronger push than the others..."

The two _Jounin_ set down Sakura and Ino next to each other along with their forehead guards. However, Ino found herself slowly regaining consciousness as few moments later when she found Sakura weakly trying to prop herself up. Both girls glanced at each other for a moment before realizing they now both had short hair. Ino found it quite hilarious at their predicament before handing her forehead guard to Sakura.

"That was a really good fight, Sakura," Ino handed her back Sakura's forehead guard to the pink haired _kunoichi_, grinning happily at her rival. "You've really bloomed into a beautiful flower..."

Sakura ignored the tears slipping out of her eyes before gratefully accepting the forehead guard, soon noticing the next match appear.

**Temari**

**vs.**

**Ten-ten**

Finally seeing his apprentice's name show up on screen, Gai slapped Ten-ten's back proudly. "You're turn, Ten-ten!"

Lee punched the air energetically. "Yeah! Go Ten-ten!"

Sighing at the crazy antics of her teammate and her_ sensei_, Ten-ten proceeded down and faced off with Temari. On the other hand, the Sand village _kunoichi_ showed no interest in her either as she casually leaned against her fan while watching Ten-ten getting ready to fight her. Brushing back the mustard blonde strands falling in front of her face, Temari chuckled lightly at the seriousness of the _Konohagakure_ ninja.

Temari smirked before positioning to unveil her fan. "When the three moons appear, that will be the end of you."

Ten-ten narrowed her eyes darkly. "In your dreams!"

With the match starting, Ten-ten immediately began throwing a whole volley of weapons straight at Temari. _Kunai_ and _shuriken_ whistled through the air as the sand _kunoichi_ effortlessly swung her body back and forth to avoid the zooming projectiles. Temari sighed disinterestedly before swinging her fan to repel all of Ten-ten's attempts to pierce her or stab her. She didn't even bother closing the distance between them; Temari simply stood there as if Ten-ten's attacks remained completely insignificant.

Everyone stared completely flabbergasted along with her thick eyebrow _sensei_. "Ten-ten's one of the best weapon specialists in the village, how can she-?"

Temari shrugged nonchalantly, sneering at the _Konohagakure kunoichi_. "My wind will just blow away your weapons. So, throw as much as you like."

Ten-ten ran across the stadium before letting out a set of _chakra_ strings to draw back her weapons. "Let's try this again, shall we?"

She jumped high into the air and attempted to strike Temari from behind with no avail. Temari sighed dejectedly once again before lazily jumping away whereas Ten-ten descended down to throw another barrage of weaponry towards Temari. The _Sunagakure kunoichi_ inwardly sighed; when was she finally going to give up throwing a barrage? Leaping backwards, Temari flung her fan with a huge gust rendering Ten-ten's assault completely useless.

Seeing the two moons flashed on Temari's fan, Ten-ten pulled out two scrolls and performing several hand-seals. "I better finish her off, now."

Soon, two white smoke dragons rose into the air with the scrolls summoning a barrage of weaponry. Ten-ten crossed her arms together before leaping high into the air and twirling the scrolls. More weapons appeared whereas Ten-ten began linking them one by one with _chakra _strings. _Kunai, shuriken, shaiken _and even simple spike balls started appearing out of nowhere.

Temari looked up with a hollow chuckle, preparing to blow them all away again. "I'm impressed."

"_Soshoryu _[Twin Rising Dragons]," Ten-ten immediately hurled all her weapons with no hesitance as they all zoomed towards Temari.

Groaning in annoyance, Temari simply let the attacks fly towards her before completely nullifying the attack. As the weapons fell behind Temari, Ten-ten tugged the strings in attempt to stab the _Sunagakure_ _kunoichi_ as the mustard blonde girl unveiled her fan once again to strike her out.

"Nice try," Temari unveiled the three moons, prompting a horrified expression on Ten-ten's end. "_Kamaitachi no Jutsu_!" (Cutting Edge Whirlwind)

Fusing the whirlwind with blade-like _chakra_, Temari flung the whirlwind straight at Ten-ten and shredded her clothes into complete tatters. As the _Konohagakure_ _kunoichi_ struggled to free herself, Ten-ten promptly lost consciousness before limply falling onto the ground. Chuckling darkly, the opposing _kunoichi_ walked over to where Ten-ten began to fall and positioned the butt end of the fan right under the _Konohagakure_ weapon specialist. The end slammed into Ten-ten's back as Temari lamely threw her aside towards her weaponry. Without warning, Lee immediately leapt down and caught Ten-ten before she crashed against her weapons collection.

Lee glared angrily. "You're ruthless! How could you possibly-!"

Temari rolled her eyes sarcastically before walking away, darkly sneering at the male. "Humph. That girl wasn't even a challenge. Next time, let her land on her weapons."

Temari walked away with a smirk and a win while Lee brought Ten-ten back to her team. Nobody could say anything as another surprising line-up appeared on the screen:

**Hyuuga Hinata**

**vs.**

**Hyuuga Neji**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's chapter 19! Please don't forget to review!**


	20. Grudge of the Hyuuga

**Me: I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs and the story of this fanfiction!**

Chapter 20 – Grudge among the Hyuuga

As the names flashed on the screen, Hinata swallowed hard while looking to one side and seeing Neji's cold unflinching gaze. She knew the hatred behind his eyes and why he had constantly shoved her aside. Of course he would, she sighed dejectedly to herself before looking at the board and wondering what she had done to make Fate plan this. Being the Main House's heiress needed constant protection from the Branch House of the Hyuuga clan. With the two branches, they comprised the Hyuuga clan and from what she knew – the Branch House were branded with a curse seal by the time of four years old. She bit her lip anxiously at the horrible fate of her cousin, knowing how the Branch House members die while keeping the secret of the Byakuggan safe.

Neji on the other hand glared darkly at the screen before looking at his cousin. He, dare he said it, hated the Main House with every fibre of his being. They had taken his dad away from him and along with it – his freedom. Every step he took, the Hyuuga clan had watched carefully despite his genius especially in school. Their beatings and insults were merciless; Neji still could feel the sores on his back after they had flung him across the room. Neji then cast a withering glance as well towards his coffee blonde cousin. Why had destiny given his cousin a chance to be accepted despite his dirty bloodline? He had shamed the clan more than he could count especially when the hallways were flooded with a horrible stench and toilet water whereas Gray had been snickering about it the whole time. Nobody knew who the perpetrator was until a bullying incident had people fully recognize Gray's ability to control water. Neji frowned at the sight of Gray easily integrating the Hyuuga clan's _Jyuuken _style – how dare he stain it with the dirt of another clan! The Hyuuga clan had remained in an alliance only with one clan but Gray practically fused it with another style. The water immediately responded to his attacks and sent people flying.

As Neji stalked down the stairs, Taichi swallowed hard while glancing at his teammate. "Hey Gray, what's this guy's problem?"

"I don't particularly know nor do I even care about the Hyuuga clan's politics but," Gray furrowed his eyebrows a bit, watching Hinata tremble while walking down the stairs. "The Hyuuga clan is separated into two houses: the Main and the Branch Houses. According to a lot of people, the tensions between them are pretty high and no reunion can go on without them badmouthing or at least glaring at one another when in the same room. Hinata-_sama_ better watch herself. I wish I could intervene but this is an exam. I will do so if things get ugly and people actually permit it."

"Hold that thought," Manyama pondered for a moment before imagining the situation. "So basically these two are cousins? But how can you tell the difference between a Branch and a Main member?"

Gray glanced at Neji, watching the two slowly take their positions. "The Branch members have marks on their foreheads known as the Hyuuga Cursed Seal. If they are found dead or are in danger of having the secret of the _Byakuggan_ escaping then, the seal is activated to remove all traces of the _Byakuggan_. The family follows the rule of having the eldest son rule the Main House while the younger ones branch out to the Branch House."

Mimi blinked before looking left and right. "Hold on, how come destiny freak over there has a seal and you don't? You're not Hinata's brother so basically you're her cousin and that makes you a branch right?"

Gray folded his arms with a slight frown, inhaling deeply. "Yeah but the reason why I don't have it is because I wasn't born here. I didn't stay here long enough to have me branded. At the same time, Takagi-_sensei_ kept me away from the Hyuuga clan. If I remember correctly, they didn't even want me listed as a Hyuuga despite seeing that I could use _Byakuggan_. They wanted me to have my mother's name but since I couldn't talk out of trauma – they reluctantly gave me the Hyuuga name. They didn't even bother teaching me the style since I was a "mud blood"."

"Geez, what a bunch of freaks," Mimi gnashed her teeth together with a disgruntled snort. "I thought the Uchiha clan was a bunch of psychopaths. Apparently, yours are a bunch of sociopaths. Geez, what kind of families did we come from, Gray?"

Gray chuckled lightly while ruffling his younger step sister's hair. "We got placed in a better one and I'm glad we did. Otherwise, we'd be as screwed up as they are."

"Don't take him too lightly though," Takagi narrowed his eyes slightly at the match, folding his arms. "This boy was already asked several times to be moved up to _Chuunin_. It's only now that he decided to join in the exam. One of you might fight him so I suggest you watch this fight carefully. I don't want to pull my kids out of the ring when they're dying from internal bleeding."

Lee steeled himself for the fight. "Neji was the champion of my generation right before Sasuke. It's no doubt that he overpowers Hinata in every way possible."

Taichi blinked several times for a moment. "Doesn't this guy know how to keep it professional?"

Gray nodded stiffly before continuing to keep his eyes focused on the match. "Knowing him, no – he's going to make this incredibly personal and make it into one big huge mondo mess. The first thing Neji would probably do is scare the living wits out of Hinata. He's going to try using the truth against her. He knows that she's got no confidence and he knows that he has more talent in her own fighting style than she does. Regrettably, he and I somewhat think alike."

Sakura winced at the battle laid before them, shaking her head. "It must be hard for them to fight like this…I mean, they're cousins…don't they like each other in a way?"

Lee shook his head with a mournful sigh. "I'm afraid not, Sakura-chan. Neji has a grudge against them. Gai-sensei knows the whole story. Maybe we should ask him."

Glancing at Gai, Mimi cocked an eyebrow up with a quizzical expression. "Why is the _Jyuuken_ style most lethal anyway? Whenever I spar with Gray it doesn't even hurt!"

Gai narrowed his eyes at his apprentice, flinching slightly at the tension. "Let me explain. The _Goken_, the one Lee and I use, is known as the Strong Fist where we put a lot of strength to break people's bones. Neji's on the other hand, the Jyuuken can damage the internal systems of your body and of course, everyone knows: You can't train your internal organs."

On the other hand, the match soon began when Neji and Hinata finally faced each other. Hinata refused to take a fighting stance whereas Neji's aura screamed out murder and hatred.

"Great the Hyuuga version of Sasuke," Mimi banged her head against the railing. "What is wrong with all these people?"

Takagi bit his lower lip while pondering to himself, glancing at Mimi and shaking his head. "You think Neji's bad? You should have seen what you and Gray did when you were younger. The Post Traumatic Stress triggered your rage so easily that many people had to either sedate you or bind you whichever worked. I was happy though that you two opened up to me. It gave me a sense of relief."

As the match started, Neji remorsefully activated his _Byakuggan_ with a darkened sneer. "You're hopeless, you know that? You can't even perfect the Jyuuken style and you're the heiress to the Hyuuga clan. The fact that you always quiver with fear is because you know that you will fail. You were forced to join this exam weren't you-?"

Hinata staggered back, shaking her head defiantly. "That's not true! I wanted to improve myself! I wanted…I wanted…"

Neji let out a hollow and mocking chuckle. "You wanted what? To defy whatever fate has destined you to be? That's pathetic. Everyone knows. Once you're a loser, always a loser. Some are lucky, some are not. Everyone knows that there is always a bad fruit in the vine and you're the worst kind: a failing, unconfident, weak, pathetic Hyuuga ninja."

Hinata took a step back trembling at her knees. She knew her abilities practically sank below Neji's and even her sister could bring her down. Gray had been teaching her but she found herself completely frozen at Neji's words. She glanced at her teammates for a moment before shaking her head defiantly. The Hyuuga heiress knew the match would be hard but better to die trying than to run away.

Hinata clenched her hands into a fist. "No! I'm not like that! I'm going to show you how I'm not like that!"

Neji smirked coldly before folding his arms, sneering venomously. "You can always step down."

As a response, Hinata activated her _Byakuggan_ while taking her fighting stance. "Let's fight, Neji-_san_."

The genius positioned himself with a confident snort. "Get ready to get hurt!"

With both their hands glowing with _chakra_, both Hyuuga ninjas sprinted towards each other and began throwing fists at one another which Neji easily dodged whereas Hinata managed to evade his strikes despite his intent to kill. Their chakra collided with each other and each of them was dodging each of their shots despite the supposed difference in skill. Explosions of _chakra_ thundered across the room with Hinata sliding away from Neji in attempt to land a hit to which the genius responded by swinging her away but not without her parrying the attack. Both Hyuuga ninjas found themselves at a deadlock; the female Hyuuga continued redirected Neji's attacks much to his annoyance.

"So you actually learned something," Neji disguised his shock and astonishment as best as he could with a smirk. "I'm surprised a failure like you managed to gain something."

Hinata pressed on with the offensive strategy. "I'm not a failure! All I needed to do was try!"

"Your destiny has already been decided no matter what happens," Neji roared before pushing Hinata back farther, lunging forward and attacking faster.

Staring at the match unfolding before him, Naruto swallowed hard at Hinata's tenacity. "This is scary."

Sakura winced at the loud explosions thundering between the two Hyuuga's. "You bet."

Hinata continued striking with flowing movements, drawing and redirecting Neji's attacks. She remembered how Gray easily outdid her when she relied purely on the _Jyuuken _style. Gray easily dodged her despite his supposedly useless height and weight before lightly tapping her each time. His movements were smooth in comparison to Neji's which constantly raged out at her without any qualms of hurting her. Seeing her opening, Hinata immediately swished past Neji's strike before going straight for a palm strike into his chest. Neji on the other hand shoved her back before popping a few more chakra points on her arm.

Naruto groaned before slamming his forehead against the rail. "She missed."

Lee shook his head vigorously. "No. But she did manage to get him. Even the slightest brush on his clothes could deal external damage."

While they kept hitting each other over and over again, Neji slid over to the side and watched Hinata stumble forward with a mocking grin. Without any remorse, Neji pushed her in the abdomen and sent her flying and tumbling onto the ground. Despite tumbling back, Hinata used the recoil to get her body working again while moving towards Neji for another attack. Her body trembled violently but she forced herself to continue punching whereas Neji simply started swinging left and right for evasion.

Neji glared darkly before landing another punch against both her shoulders and shoving her back, frustrated as to why Hinata continued fighting. "I told you… why defy fate? Fate is more powerful than the rest of us. You know that don't you?"

As Hinata struggled, she felt her vision clouding up considerably. Her knees began to crumble beneath her as the metallic taste of her blood burst throughout her mouth. Taking another glance at Neji, the indigo haired heiress felt her heart sinking into her stomach. Who was she kidding? Neji practically overpowered her in every aspect and he had landed all his blows easily without him breaking a sweat. Hinata shook her head; she had to get rid of those negative thoughts!

"Come on, Hinata! You're not going to let him mock you like that are you!? You're a lot better than that! Come on! That's a load of trash he's talking about!"

"Yeah, you can definitely win as long as you believe you can win!"

Hinata swivelled her head towards the bleachers where she found Naruto jumping up and down along with Taichi cheering loudly from the bleachers. The sight of the blonde boy made blood rush up to her cheeks and Taichi's loud cheering prompted her heart to skip a beat. She glanced at Neji once more before steeling her resolve, noticing an approving glance from Kurenai. She staggered back before standing up tall once again. Although she could feel her body completely failing, Hinata managed to launch herself forward for a punch. Easily evading her attack, Neji grabbed her arm and blew six of her chakra points and when he rolled up her sleeves the wounds were evident.

Mockingly, he flung Hinata aside and smirked darkly. "Face it… This match was already decided when we got on the field. Destiny propels all of time's events. Give it up Hinata and accept your fate! No one can fight destiny!"

The indigo haired Hyuuga stood up once again, looking at her cousin directly in the eye. "No…people can change their destiny, if they truly try. I'm trying to change and I've come this far. But I'm not the only one. Everyone is, including you Neji. But you are silently fighting it. You just don't want to admit it…"

Neji glared before letting out a blazing hiss. "Shut up!"

Hinata positioned herself again before trying to lay another hit which the male Hyuuga had dodged effortlessly. He landed his palm straight against her chest and sent her sprawling onto the ground. Everyone stared in horror at each futile attempt but nevertheless kept their eyes on Hinata.

She got up again before coughing heavily, showing a slight trickle of blood falling down from her lips. "There…what you just did…was proof."

The judge waved his hand in declaration. "Winner, Hyuuga Neji."

Hinata could no longer keep herself stable but weakly smiled at Neji. "Neji-_san_… you can change yourself…you just…need…to try…you've been caging yourself-."

Neji's anger lost control and he launched himself at her, howling and venomously spitting. "SHUT UP AND DIE!"

He charged towards her and her body refused to acknowledge her commands. Hinata stared in weakness, wondering how she would survive this. Neji had beaten her black and blue and a lot more roughly than she thought he ever would. Were her words futile? She didn't know herself but looking at Neji's hatred filled eyes told her everything. He carried the weight and the spite of the Branch house on his shoulders and Neji had every right to be angry. As the Hyuuga heiress, she smiled bitterly at the thought of being forcefully protected by the Branch House. They were a single clan; they should be able to believe in one another and help one another instead of forming a hierarchy. She closed her eyes as many of the _Jounins_ immediately leapt off the balcony with Gai immediately standing right in front of Neji, Kurenai standing to hold back the boy with Kakashi holding up a defence in front of Hinata. However, what caught them in surprise is when an ice coffin emerged from beneath Neji and clamped against his body along with two stones suddenly floating in the air ready to squash him from both sides. Struggling and kicking furiously, Neji glared at Gray who stood calmly at the second floor with a formed _Jutsu_ seal along with Taichi punching both his fists together.

"You're lucky we didn't complete the techniques," Gray narrowed his eyes coldly, preparing to summon more ice shards.

Taichi smirked before grinning goofily. "Better luck next time, Whitey. You're gonna have to do more than that if you wanna break through us."

Seeing that four people had stopped him, Neji thrashed uncontrollably as he glared at his own _sensei_ who had also stopped him. "What - Do the Main House members get special treatment as well!?"

Gai shook his head before staring sternly at the younger boy. "Calm down Neji. It's over."

While watching Gai pacifying Neji, Kurenai immediately rushed over to Hinata while checking her wounds. Unzipping the Hyuuga _kunoichi_'s jacket, the red eyed woman frowned deeply before tracing Hinata's wounds gently. Ever since Hinata had been assigned into her team, Kurenai knew how the girl had simply been disowned by her father for simply being weaker than her sister and her cousin. This test – she knew how much the girl trained in order to get better and to become at least something in the eyes of her father. Angry at Neji's lack of control, Kurenai threw a glare at Neji who simply smirked at her.

"You should save that time to check on her and not glare at me."

As Hinata was being brought away on a stretcher, Naruto immediately ran over to her worriedly. "Hinata are you okay?"

Hinata smiled weakly as her voice faded away. "It's alright... I just need to sleep for awhile..."

Kakashi, watching Naruto stare sadly at the sleeping Hyuuga female, placed his hand lightly on the blonde boy's shoulder. "Naruto, let's go."

While walking up the stairs, Naruto found himself face to face with Neji. "You didn't have to hurt her! You'll pay for this!"

Taichi grabbed Neji by the collar of his shirt, shaking him roughly as his black eyes became reptilian green. "You had no right to kill her!"

Gray pried the two away much to everyone's shock. "Guys, enough."

Neji chuckled lightly, raising an eyebrow at his coffee blonde cousin. "Oh? Who are you supposed to be?"

Without any warning however, Gray spun around for a fast roundhouse kick and knocked down the other boy with very little difficulty. Neji staggered back as Gai caught him with Gray not even showing the slightest hint of emotion with his emerald green eyes not even flickering. Both Hyuuga's stared down at each other with the silence being very stiffening and suffocating around them. While Neji continued glared angrily, Gray simply smirked mischievously while pretending to shoot him from his finger tip.

"Jackpot." (Wahahaha, sorry. I couldn't help but put this. It's from Dante from Devil May Cry.)

Neji, snorting indignantly, stormed away with a darkened huff as the next match flashed on the screen.

**Aburame Shino**

**Vs.**

**Kankuro**

Shino proceeded down silently and Kankuro had his puppets with him. Nobody had said a word from the last match as they watched Neji silently take his place among his teammates. Lee and Ten-ten couldn't say anything either after seeing the tension between the other team members. Neji rubbed the swollen area where Gray planted his foot on – of all places, Gray simply chose to kick his jaw and nearly dislocate it. Taichi would have broken his bones though, remembering the rumours regarding the boy. Mimi on the other hand would have charred him to pieces and rearranged his face. Neji wasn't sure whether or not he should've been happy that it was Gray who had kicked him or it was someone else.

Kankuro sneered darkly, looking at the Aburame clan member from head to toe. "So, you're Aburame Shino."

The Aburame member said nothing and all he did was tilt his shades. Shino found himself incredibly bored with what he was seeing, knowing how vicious his bugs were. They were practically squeaking his ears as Shino tried his best to ignore their incessant whining to feed on _chakra_. Sighing deeply to himself, Shino remained completely silent as Kankuro spat viciously at him and brought out his puppets. Without any warning, Kankuro lashed out _Karasu_ and launched it straight towards Shino who simply evaded with a slight side-step. Furious and frustrated, Kankuro rushed his attack once again as Shino began retracting but not before dodging Kankuro's attempts to kill him. However, Shino soon found Karasu winding its arms around him before slashing him into pieces. Horrified at the brutality, Kurenai swallowed hard and prayed deeply that her student managed to get out alive. After seeing the bloody display, everyone could only gape in horror: **Shino was DEAD.**

While Kankuro started maniacally laughing, _Karasu_ suddenly started falling apart. His eyes widened as _Karasu_ refused to move according to him. One by one, pieces of _Karasu_ started falling onto the ground. Shino mysteriously emerged behind Kankuro and he surrounded the sand puppeteer everywhere.

He smirked under his jacket. "I've got you from ever side. Don't think of jumping up because I'll just shove you to the ground anyway."

Kankuro's face contorted with anger and desperation. "It's not over!"

As _Karasu_ lashed out with one final attempt, Shino calmly snapped his fingers as bugs started emerging from his sleeves and flying towards _Karasu_. The puppet immediately stopped dead in its tracks as the strings of _chakra_ started fading away, forcing Kankuro to step back. Kankuro, clucking his tongue in annoyance, swung whatever string allowed him to swing _Karasu_ towards Shino. The Aburame clan member sighed deeply once again before ducking whereas Kankuro moved in for the offensive. Shino blocked Kankuro's right hook before sliding behind him and choking him with his forehand and knocking him over to the ground. Kankuro flipped over as Shino rushed past him before throwing a kick to Kankuro's back. He fell to the floor and all Shino had to do then was to knock him in the head to make sure he was out cold.

Moving over to check if Kankuro remained in one piece, the judge declared. "Winner, Aburame Shino."

Everyone was in shock and Shino quietly went up. For someone who had hardly spoken, he had done the most normal battle among the other contestants. Among the _Konohagakure _ninjas, Shino definitely showed more professionalism whereas the others had to trash talk each other first. Kurenai sighed deeply to herself while looking at the other _Jounin_ who stood among them. Takagi had begun chiding the other two for picking a fight with Neji most especially his tallest member for actually kicking him in the face when he could have done something better. She remembered him saying that they had "shit for brains" if they're going to keep that up. Kakashi had remained completely quiet while trying to pacify Naruto although it was Sakura doing most of the pacifying. Asuma on the other hand had looked over Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji. As far as she was concerned, Chouji and Ino had both finished their matches but Shikamaru – she wondered what a Nara clan member was capable of. Normally, the people had depicted them as the laziest people on earth.

Shino quietly leaned against the wall. "Kurenai-_sensei_, when will this end?"

Kurenai inhaled deeply before sighing out dejectedly. "Soon... I hope. This exam is becoming to blood-thirsty for my taste."

Neji however was intrigued how Shino could house so many bugs or even summon that many despite his _Genin_ rank. Upon activating his _Byakuggan_, Neji drew back in repulsion. Shino had no _chakra_ traces in his body but he had many bugs feasting on it. Neji resisted the urge to vomit but kept his thoughts to himself.

Naruto stared dumbly, glancing at his _sensei._ "Kakashi_-sensei_ how is he able to do that? He just fried the guy in an instant!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the Aburame _Genin_. "In his clan, the Aburame forge a pact with insects known as _Kikaichu_. At a certain age, the clan members allow these creatures to stay within their bodies as they serve as their host. As the time passes, the _Kikaichu_ feed on the chakra in return, they can become a communicating network, trap device, projectile attacks or anything the master wants.

Upon hearing this, Naruto shivered slightly at the knowledge before looking at his batchmate. _Wow, that is one creepy power._

Soon, the next match appeared:

**Yamato Taichi**

**Vs.**

**Tsurugi**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Damn Shino's creepy with his bug powers! Sorry for the Hinata bashing but Neji was an ass prior to Naruto whooping his butt in the finals. Please review!**


	21. Falling into the Earth

**Me: Hi guys! Ha-ha, sorry for not updating this one in awhile! I'm hoping to finish fixing this story in order to move on to my unfinished stories since this one is basically finished. :)) I don't own Naruto! I only own the OCs and their _Jutsu_!**

Chapter 21 – Falling into the Earth

Taichi couldn't help but groan.

The Earth Dragon glanced at his opponent who did nothing but glare darkly at him. The navy bluenette sighed deeply to himself before nodding at the thought of fighting. Maybe this guy has better capabilities than the others. Taichi clucked his tongue at being unable to fight Gray but fighting against a Sound Ninja wouldn't be so bad either. Then again, majority of the ninjas taking the test were from _Konohagakure_. He groaned once again to himself as he watched the _Otogakure_ ninja walk down the stairs and take his position.

Taichi scratched his head in annoyance before narrowing his eyes. "This sucks. To think I was all fired up to fight Gray or something but instead I get this guy! Damn, I wanted someone who at least would talk a little and start back-sassing me and stuff. It sucks when they're the quiet types."

Upon getting downstairs, Taichi slowly sauntered towards the meeting point between him in the judge. The _jinchuuriki_ slightly flinched at the tension in the room; something was different about this guy but he couldn't figure out what. He looked all over the man to see anything that could give him a clue but nothing. Taichi sighed in defeat; he cracked his knuckles and his neck before inhaling deeply. He loosened his shoulders a bit before preparing to take his stance.

Tsurugi, seeing Taichi's nervousness, sneered darkly with a glare. "What's the matter? Getting cold feet, Seiryuu?"

The name aggravated Taichi a little bit but he remained calm as the best he could. Taichi knew who his _bijuu_ was and it wasn't the one that had split into several beasts. He knew that Seiryuu once lived in the heavens before getting thrown off by the golden dragon Kohryu. He remembered how frail he was long time ago; Taichi knew how he didn't have long to live but ever since Seiryuu had been sealed into his body – things got better for him in a way except people started leaving him behind. Taichi sighed deeply; when was the last time he heard from his family after the sealing? His mother had barely called him up and he had seen them parading through the streets of _Konohagakure_ through the window of the orphanage he was kept in. Taichi inhaled deeply before shaking himself out of his daze. Now was not the time to think about the past, Taichi psyched himself before eyeing Tsurugi carefully.

_The only family I have now is Gray and the others even if we do fight a lot. We're nakama..._

The judge lifted both his hands, glancing at both fighters. "Get ready."

Taichi drew his _Fuuma Shuriken_ while his ebony eyes glinted with anger. "Get yourself ready, because this dragon knows how to rock and roll!"

Tsurugi snickered mockingly, watching Taichi glare at him with his jet black eyes. "You're a fool to end up fighting me."

The moment Hayate gave the signal; the navy blue haired male launched himself towards Tsurugi while swinging his _Fuuma Shuriken_. Watching the _Otogakure_ dodge, Taichi prepared to corner him as he tried land a kick on the man's face only to have the man completely dodge him and try to sock his abdomen. Twisting his body in mid-air, Taichi pushed himself away from Tsurugi before recovering in a squat position but not before throwing his _Fuuma Shuriken_ across the room. With the _Fuuma Shuriken_ whirling throughout the room, Tsurugi leapt over it before swinging around like a boomerang and throwing itself back to Taichi and who caught it before swinging it again. The dragon launched himself towards Tsurugi as he was trapped by both sides. The _Fuuma Shuriken_ immediately disappeared the moment Taichi closed in on his opponent and prepared for a right uppercut only to have the man completely absorb it.

Taichi stared in disbelief, throwing multiple punches only to have them cushioned each time. "What the heck – you're freakin' made of rubber!"

Tsurugi's neck just stretched out as the man himself grinned sardonically at Taichi. "You can say that and that puts you at a severe disadvantage!"

Shoving himself away, Taichi threw another set of _shuriken_ only to have the man completely stretch in different directions to avoid it. Taichi gnashed his teeth in frustration as he pushed his body to throw another barrage of punches only to have them sink into the man's body. Tsurugi stretched around Taichi before curling his arms and legs around Taichi's limbs, whirling him around before tossing him up into the air. Taichi flipped up in the air before trying a dive kick only to have the _Otogakure_ ninja completely absorb the impact and grab Taichi again.

Tsurugi laughed darkly before tightening his grip on the struggling dragon and throwing him across the field, lunging forward to punch him. "Sorry kid. Your punches won't work on me."

Taichi prepared to wince at every blow taken but the impact never came. The only thing he could feel was being thrown back. Taichi immediately twisted his body in a way to land properly while looking at his body. He glanced strangely at Tsurugi who started kissing his knuckles to alleviate the pain before lifting his shirt. His black eyes widened in surprise – his skin now had covered itself in diamond blue scales. Taichi looked up again and noticed how broken and misaligned Tsurugi's knuckles were. He chuckled in amusement; damn, Seiryuu had solidified his body to prevent any damage being done to it.

Takagi chuckled lightly, scratching his head. "That's gotta hurt."

Tsurugi hissed at the boy before glancing at his knuckles. Where did the boy get that kind of defence let alone the ability to solidify his body like that? Taichi stood up straight as if he had never been hit to begin with. He glared darkly at the boy before cracking his knuckles and realigning his wrist. His eyes focused darkly on Taichi's jet black eyes, waiting for the boy to make any sudden movements.

Tsurugi scoffed mockingly. "What's the matter? Are you getting weak?"

Taichi smirked under his breath before gesturing to Tsurugi. "Heh, check your hands before you tell me that."

Tsurugi cursed darkly at Taichi's observation as he tried to fix the wrists of both sides, hearing the bones slightly crack. He had thrown everything into his punches and Taichi's body just rendered his physical attacks completely useless. He glared at the boy who had a huge cheeky grin on his face. What exactly did Taichi have?

Taichi scratched his head sheepishly. "I didn't do anything to my body. It just does that unless I'm the one who inflicts damage. You see, I'm not like those normal kids who had body building lessons to get that rock hard. I'm actually supposed to be really frail but ever since I got played around with, nothing can hit me. The only ones who can lay hits on me are probably _Hokage-jiji_, Takagi-_sensei_, Gray and probably Mimi. Well, she doesn't really hit stuff but heck when she burns you – you're really lucky you didn't fight her. Although, I can't have my teammates be the only ones showing off. It's my turn to look awesome," – narrowing his eyes, Taichi formed seals with his hands while focusing on the earth around him. "_Doton; Shuuran Haji no Jutsu_." (Earth Element; Grasping Ribbons technique)

The rocks split and began cracking before sprouting out of the ground to wrap around Tsurugi. The _Otogakure_ ninja immediately launched himself away only to have the ribbons rush towards him and wrap around his legs and his entire body, punching him into the ground. Taichi let go off the seal the moment the rocks petrified themselves in that position, walking slowly towards Tsurugi.

Taichi performed more hand seals as the ground suddenly spat out a stone blade from a tiny crater, slowly resembling a sharp blade. "This is my sword, the _Tsuchi Tsurugi _(Stone Sword). I had to invent this since Gray came up with his stupid frost bite blade which FROZE ME HALF THE TIME," – earning himself a devious chuckle from the coffee blonde upstairs. "So, this sword has to resist anything and cut through anything."

As the match continued, Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Taichi's capability to mould rocks into anything. "Where did that boy pick up enough chakra to do such things?"

Hanging his head lightly, Takagi mournfully sighed before watching Taichi prepare to bring down his opponent. "Inside his body is the spirit of Seiryuu."

Asuma stood back revolted whereas Kurenai maintained a calm facade despite the shock. "The five clawed silver dragon?"

Takagi nodded in confirmation, averting his eyes from the other _Jounin_. "The Yamato clan wasn't as strong as it used to be now. In fact, they were a warring state against _Konohagakure_ before. They were known as the Clan of Thieves and Politics. They can do anything and manipulate anyone to their liking. However, at that same time – they have a tradition that the son has to be the leader of the clan. Now, the leader had two sons – one that had turned against them thus was executed whereas his younger son who was much weaker and frail in health. The boy could barely go outside without getting sick. Now to satisfy both sides of the war, _Konoha_ and the Yamato clan drafted up an agreement: _Konoha_ would grant the amnesty and the Yamato clan prestige if they can find someone who could act as a vessel for Seiryuu. Seiryuu had been severely weakened after the attack from fighting the _Kyuubi_. It was said that anyone who fused with a heavenly being like that would be granted immeasurable power and with a frail son – the mother just gave him up just like that. She never saw him again after; nobody knows what happened to the father either. But the Yamato clan had become rich and powerful due to this agreement."

Kakashi hung his head before glancing at the blonde ninja standing next to Sakura. "Somewhat similar to Naruto..."

"Naruto didn't have the village's respect and neither did Taichi," Takagi laughed bitterly, watching Taichi sail through the air cut through Tsurugi. "Kids made fun of Taichi because he was initially so frail and he wasn't good with kids. His social skills needed a lot of work and the first one he actually befriended there was Mimi and Gray. Geez, both of those kids were tricksters in their own right but Gray was the harder one to break the habit from. Where do you think Gray had the capability to re-route all the plumbing in a single hour? Someone had to bend the metal or at least have the strength for it."

Tsurugi launched himself at Taichi after wriggling himself free from the Earth Ribbons, kicking the boy square in the gut. Taichi took the hit gladly but didn't mind due to the scales hardening up to protect him from the blow, giving him a chance to swing his blade towards Tsurugi. The _Otogakure_ ninja forcibly pushed himself back while trying to dodge Taichi's wildly swinging sword with the boy throwing kicks and punches. Tsurugi threw _shurikens_ only to have them bounce of Taichi's scaly arm harmlessly but managed to kick Taichi's jaw and sent the boy sprawling onto the ground.

Spitting out the blood, Taichi slowly got up before wiping the dirt with a mocking grin. "Is that the best you can do, Stretchy?"

Tsurugi stared in admonishment; how did the boy suddenly gain that much tenacity? However, he refused to let his face give away that Taichi had been turning this match all in his favour. The boy had rendered all his strikes useless. Taichi may have been unable to punch him but he had to give him credit for his tenacity and planning.

Tsurugi snorted indignantly, rolling his eyes. "You're a moron. Getting up again and again just so you can pursue a senseless dream."

Taichi coughed lightly before throwing off his shirt, cracking his knuckles. "I'll do anything to become the best."

His black eyes became green dragon like eyes and they were glowing with power. Taichi winced at the bulging of his muscles and scales crawling to cover his body. His canines became more fang-like and his hands started to sharpen up similarly to claws. Tsurugi was estranged by such view, he never seen such power when he saw Taichi's profile. Taichi's short shaggy navy blue hair suddenly became long like a mane with markings starting to appear around the boy's face similarly to that of Seiryuu. The boy planted all himself on all fours before howling and roaring with the same ferocity as a dragon, bursting with _chakra_ around him. Everyone stared in astonishment as Taichi managed to maintain his human form despite being covered in bright blue sapphire scales with his hair reaching the floor. Without warning, Taichi roared in berserker fury before lunging towards Tsurugi and swinging his claws. Horrified, the _Otogakure_ ninja froze before shielding his face whereas Taichi pinned him to the ground to begin his relentless assault. At every swing of the boy's claw, people flinched at the blood splattering against Taichi's polished scales as Tsurugi's clothes lay in tatters and some parts of his arm revealed his bones. Before letting out one final howl, Taichi stopped at the last minute when Tsurugi's arms were shielding his face. The navy haired boy blinked several times before looking around at everyone.

Taichi scratched his head, swallowing hard. "Did I just do this?"

Everyone was too stiff to move or to even nod a 'yes'.

The judge, despite seeing a bloody macabre sight, swung his hand to declare. "Taichi Yamato, winner."

The navy haired ninja, upon hearing that, grinned happily before walking up the stairs. He happily marched up the stairs towards his teammates who didn't seem the least bit fazed by his wild fighting style. Gray kept his usual demeanour, Mimi sighed before scratching her nose whereas Izumi and Manyama could only pout at the navy haired boy. Seeing how uneasy his teammates were, Taichi grinned before punching the air.

"I'm starving! Let's eat!"

Everyone had an anime sweat drop and Mimi stared at him incredulously before giving him an axe kick to the face. "How the hell can you only think of food in this hour!?"

Taichi staggered back before pouting childishly. "OW, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO KICK ME YOU ASH BRAIN!"

"PEBBLES FOR BRAINS!"

"ARSONIST!"

"FUCK YOU, I TAKE PRIDE IN SETTING THINGS ON FIRE!"

"FINE THEN YOU FIREBREATHING CHICKEN!"

"I'M NOT A CHICKEN, YOU STUPID OVERGROWN LIZARD!"

Gray and the other two groaned at the sight of their childish teammates before the Hyuuga male decided to put them in a soundproof water bubble. Izumi laughed a little while Gray shrugged nonchalantly before leaning against the wall with his eyes closed; he didn't want to be disturbed by the noise. It was already irritating to stay awake after so many days.

**Rock Lee**

**Vs.**

**Sabaku no Gaara**

Gai and everyone else stared in shock as Lee's eyes brightened up in excitement; finally, he could get a fight in. Lee inhaled deeply to calm himself down before looking at the _Sungakure ninja_ who stood at the sidelines silently the whole time without saying a word. He remembered how the dirty blonde _kunoichi_ made a mockery of Ten-Ten's weapon mastery, closing his eyes darkly at the image. The _taijutsu _specialist looked at a heavily injured Ten-ten sleeping against the wall before looking at his opponent again. The _Sungakure ninjas_ had just made the fight personal.

Temari looked at her redette brother with a small smile. "Good luck, Gaara."

The Sand Nin narrowed his eyes at his older sister before summoning a sand cloud to bring him down stairs, watching Lee make his way to the battlefield. "He can't kill me. If my sand won't let me kill myself; then he can't kill me."

The two boys went straight for the battlefield before looking at each other, eye to eye. Lee inhaled deeply before looking once again at a stoic Gaara while trying to prevent his hands for getting anymore sweaty than it already had been. He had stories on how Gaara mercilessly slew his opponents after seeing how little they were for the _Chuunin_ exams when there had been a lot more awhile ago. Lee could feel his legs shaking as well from the tension of Gaara's _chakra_. The man held more _chakra_ than he showed but Lee steeled himself for a good fight.

"I'm going to win, for I am Konoha's Green Beast!"

Izumi sighed before shaking her head disdainfully. "Doesn't he do anything besides that? And please, my God shave his eyebrows! He's going downhill to dorksville!"

Manyama shrugged in defeat, giggling softly. "You can't blame him. He idolizes his _sensei_. Notice any resemblance, Izumi?"

Her redhead teammate glanced at Gai for a moment and then at Lee before pulling out her hair and shaking the poor weapon specialist. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE? DON'T THEY KNOW HOW STUPID THEY LOOK?"

Manyama, despite the shaking, managed to stop Izumi before gaining some of her bearing back. "WAAAAH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHAKE MY BRAINS OUT!"

Gaara stared emotionlessly at his opponent, remembering all the people who died before his sand attacks. He couldn't bring himself to get rid of all the killing intent he had buried in his body. In fact, he wanted better but somehow – it just kept resurfacing no matter what he did. Gaara remembered the first man he had killed – his dearly beloved uncle who had tried to kill him as well. Gaara darkly stared back as that same anger and hatred started boiling inside of him. His _chakra_ started running wild as he could feel the whole room shudder before his power. A slow creepy smile curved up his lips as he prepared to throw a huge wave of sand and crush Lee in an instant.

Lee blinked several times while watching Gaara not even bat an eyelash with his sleepless eyes. He could see the teal eyes staring down at him and the weight of Gaara's _chakra_ didn't help alleviate the situation either. All the _Genin_ could barely watch one of their own go against one of the more dangerous opponents; if only they had specified tests. Lee winced slightly before fixing his forehead band, inhaling deeply and taking his position. He knew he was in for it now; the only thing he could feel was the heavy thumping of his heart against his chest.

_Babump._

_Babump._

_Babump._

_Babump._

_Babump._

Hayate let out a signal and Lee immediately went charging towards Gaara. The _Sunagakure_ ninja, pulling up a shield, gestured his sand to escape the gourd and spray all around the battlefield before trying to smash and grab Lee. The green jumpsuit boy pulled out his _kunai_ and began slashing away, running around as he did so and outrunning most of Gaara's attacks. Seeing that slashing the sand had been entirely useless, Lee immediately sheathed it before bouncing back and forth from the walls. Lee vanished from Gaara's view as he began sprinting away from all the sand blasts, trying to close in the distance with very little success. Clucking his tongue in annoyance, Lee baited the next attack before zooming right above it and leaping towards Gaara. Seeing an opening, Lee attempted to punch Gaara only to have the sand block him off and explode in his face. Gaara didn't look the least bit fazed as he continued throwing blobs of sand along with sharp lances against the ground.

_Tsk, he's not letting me close..._

Lee quickly recovered while landing on his feet for a squat before lunging towards him again. The red haired ninja glared darkly at Lee before creating several sand fists all flying at Lee which the boy instinctively dodged before punching through one. Annoyed at Lee's persistence, Gaara whirled a huge sand boulder towards Lee before increasing the speed of raining sand bullets at the _Konohagakure_ ninja. He knew Lee couldn't kill him so why was there this hard pounding in his chest? He couldn't understand but everything just faded into the black background around him, only seeing Lee as his target with the sand colliding into the ground. He immediately sprayed a huge blast of sand into Lee's face only to have the boy to sprint away before it completely encased him. Nodding to himself, Lee immediately flew forward before landing the first hit on Gaara. The red haired boy flew up into the air before a long line of bandages shot out into the air. As Gaara flew up into the air, Lee unwrapped his bandages before latching them onto Gaara. He wrapped his bandage around the _Sunagakure_ ninja and smashed him straight into the ground, creating a huge crater. Gaara rolled away as he winced slightly from the impact, hearing a mocking voice in his head.

_You're lucky I saved your life, brat._

"Shut up," Gaara hissed darkly before throwing another barrage of sand towards Lee. "I don't need your help."

Seeing that Gaara started getting more vicious with the barrage of sand, Lee inhaled deeply before looking at his leg warmers. They were starting to become a pain; Gaara started throwing the sand faster than the last time and the sand blasting at him didn't help either. He threw a short glance at his master who nodded in approval, smiling in response. Finally closing into a stop, Gaara stared strangely at Lee who seemed more determined than ever. What exactly was making this guy tick? Digging into his leg warmers, Lee yanked out weights before letting them drop onto the ground with a loud _crash_. The weights left huge cracks onto the ground as Lee darted forward once again, vanishing from everyone's vision. Gaara's eyes widened as Lee suddenly appeared in front of him before landing a kick against the boy's face. Everyone gaped in shock at Lee's sudden increase in speed as Gaara started getting hit in all directions. Gai sighed in relief and approval; he had seen Lee increase the weight every time he had gotten three seconds faster.

Lee leapt around and avoided Gaara's sand in any way possible as the sand continued crashing and splashing against the walls. Gaara, annoyed and infuriated, summoned more sand as they started covering a larger radius and crashing all over the place. Lee danced around the smashing sand streams as Gaara waved his hand to bend the sand in a different form before snapping towards Lee and snaking towards him. As things got tighter, Lee bit his lower lip anxiously. Running away from Gaara would eventually have him screwed over. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes before focusing more _chakra_ through his body; it was now or never.

Gai saw the seriousness on his pupil's face, hanging his head in a mumble. "The lotus will bloom twice."

Picking up what Gai had said, Takagi immediately swivelled his head towards Gai along with the other _Jounins_. "You didn't seriously teach him that other technique did you?"

Gai grinned sheepishly before proudly smiling at his student. "I couldn't help it. He wanted to prove that he could be a ninja without Ninjitsu and _Genjutsu_. He worked so hard and he was such a cute student of mine."

Takagi resisted the urge to head wall, groaning in annoyance. "You're an idiot! Kids who do this usually ruin their career before they can even get to _Jounin_! Besides, only _Jounins _are authorized to open their gates!"

Kakashi hung his head quietly, watching Gaara suddenly falling short. "How many can he open?"

Gai changed his expression to a more serious disposition. "Around five already."

Takagi nodded in amazement, watching Lee suddenly connect three punches to Gaara's face. "That's amazing for a Genin his age. Besides, where did this kind of determination come from?"

Gai inhaled deeply, looking at his student continuing to fight. "Lee was always the hot-blooded loser in ninja school. He wasn't good in neither _Ninjitsu_ nor _Genjutsu_ and his _Taijutsu_ was only average. However, when he was assigned to me – Lee declared..."

_"I'm going to prove to the world that anyone can be a ninja even without learning Ninjitsu or Genjutsu!"_

They looked at Gai and Taichi blinked in amazement, watching Lee land more blows on Gaara. "Wow, there are ninjas like that... I didn't know that was even possible. Though, this red head dude – he's been flinging sand like it's nothing to him. Gray, can you check what he's got?"

Gray activated his _Byakuggan_ before staggering back in horror: inside Gaara, a psycho smile appeared in his view before howling at Gray. "Fuck!"

Manyama stared in shock, hearing Gray swear for the rarest of moments. "Gray? Are you alright?"

Izumi caught Gray from stumbling backwards, shaking his head. "Looks like he's just seen a ten star horror movie."

Mimi pouted childishly, stamping her foot on the ground. "Unfair! Why can he see that kind of stuff!?"

Taichi blinked several times, pondering upon the thought. "Huh? But don't you have _Sharingan_? Don't the Uchiha have the ability to tell what a clone is and what's not? So, can't you see past the other forms of _chakra_ to get to the big stuff?"

Mimi brightened up cheerfully before activating her _Sharingan_. "Oh yeah!"

However, the result was the same. A psycho smile grinned at Mimi but she seemed pretty alright with it until darkness swamped her vision and flashed blood right in her face. Normally, Mimi would manage a few horror movies but this one threw her back against the wall as if the creature knew what she was trying to do.

"Mimi," Manyama helped Mimi off the floor. "What happened?"

"Damn bastard," Mimi flinched slightly at the pain of being thrown against the wall, shivering slightly. "That thing's no normal spirit...! I now know why Gray got horrified...!"

Watching Gaara get extremely fast with the projectiles, Lee danced around as he started activating the gates one by one. The second gate had his veins bulging at his temples and his eyes started dilating. He could feel his whole body heating up from the release of energy as opened the third gate. His body started moving faster and his muscles began tearing themselves apart. He could feel the ripping in his body as his body started zooming in speeds he had never imagined. The agony faded away eventually with the fourth gate cracking open along with the fifth. Static electricity burst around him with his skin turning bright red and smoke actually emitting around him. Gaara's eyes only widened before pulling up sand armour to shield his entire body. The _Suna no Tate_ would have saved him more time but Gaara found his shield being smashed into pieces and shards with a single punch hence the armour. Gaara found himself being bounced back and forth, hissing in annoyance. How did this normal human manage to break through his shield when others could barely even lay a hit? The speed of Lee was a blur and people could only gape at the speed Lee started striking with him vanishing every second and him bouncing off the walls.

"Damn, he's running as fast as a _kunai_," Taichi twitched in astonishment as more hits echoed throughout the battlefield.

"Lee didn't have good _chakra_ control or any _ninjitsu_ to back him up," Gray shrugged nonchalantly as a mischievous smirk appeared on his lips. "But his _Taijutsu_ is definitely astounding."

Lee continued bouncing back and forth as he flinched at every tear of his muscle. He could feel his body completely slowing down until his skin started returning to his normal colour. Lee winced slightly from side effects before completely falling onto the ground. He didn't kiss the pavement but Lee could feel his eyelids dropping, not noticing that Gaara begun summoning more sand. Despite being completely dazed, Gaara managed to use the sand to grasp around his leg and arm to crack it completely. Lee was even too tired to even try dragging himself and found himself howling in pain. Lee fell to the ground, completely unconscious from the breakage and fatigue as Gaara forced himself to get up.

Hayate glanced at the standing Gaara. "Winner – Sabaku no Gaara."

Despite being declared winner, Gaara could feel a throbbing in his body. His stomach began boiling with blood lust as he redirected his sand to form a huge mallet to smash Lee into nothing but a pancake. His teal eyes widened as he prepared to swing it down. However, the sand completely dissipated as someone revealed himself from behind the sand.

Someone in green…

With thick eyebrows like Lee…

None other than Maito Gai!

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's chapter 21! Please review! Thanks~**


	22. Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned

**Me: I don't own Naruto! Although, I might need to stop updating for awhile so I can start working on my other stories. I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 24 – Hell hath no Fury like a Woman Scorned

Gai glared deathly at Gaara and the redhead just had an impassive expression plastered across his face, not even batting an eyelash at the macabre sight before him. He glanced back at his astonished and badly injured student, wondering what then he could do. Lee had taken a severe beating and his body had been completely destroyed by the five gates alone. Fortunately however, Gai had refused to teach him the sixth and seventh gate otherwise things would have gotten way out of their control. As is, Ten-ten had taken a horrible beating from the dirty blonde girl from the same team and she was already known as _Konohagakure_'s best weapon specialist. Uzami Manyama may be good but other than her technique related to one of the four Deva – he hadn't seen much. However, the dark and murderous glare coming from the _Sunagakure_ ninja standing before him paralyzed him completely. Where did the boy gain such a murderous intent, he could only wonder at the events that occurred in the boy's past.

Gaara darkly folded his arms before looking away disdainfully at the broken body of his opponent and the boy's _sensei_, letting a huge amount of sand swirl around him. "I don't care who dies or who lives. I just want this done and over with."

Without any good-byes or signals to as where he was headed, Gaara vanished with the sand as little small specks of dust remained littered on the ground. Nobody had the courage to say anything after seeing Gaara go through Lee as if the boy had been nothing but an immature brat. Gai remembered the cold calculating stare that Gaara had constantly kept during the skirmish with Lee. The boy barely even flinched when Lee had turned him into a living ping-pong ball but whatever it may be – Gai couldn't believe that Gaara had become impervious to Lee's strength. The boy had already been lifting boulders and even breaking them with a single punch but with a little more effort and training, he would be doing it without a sweat. Gai stared at Lee's broken body and condition; what now? Lee's body looked completely mutilated with his bones being broken in different angles at different places. Blood dripped from Lee's lips as his body was left contorted in different angles. His left eye was shut with his right side barely open. His left leg dangled limply similarly to that of a rag doll and his right leg could barely maintain its usual straight position. The vigour in Lee's eyes visibly dropped as the boy had been hauled onto the stretcher.

Kakashi looked at Lee and saw the state that Lee was in, narrowing his eyes darkly. Gaara definitely had become much more of a monster than he appeared. The _chakra_ and murder intent filled the whole room with fear and fury. He glanced at Naruto and Sakura who looked like they had seen a horror movie or perhaps a more macabre sight than normal. Takagi barely managed to regain his bearings before narrowing his eyes at the Sand ninjas. Were they allowed to do that in their own village? Was their ruthlessness a part of their culture? While he did not know for sure, he was glad that his students never faced him. He couldn't bear the image of seeing Lee being crushed as is; what more his own children? Taichi could only deflect Gaara for so long with his diamond scales, Izumi and Manyama would be dead in seconds, Gray and Mimi could hold him off probably before they meet a bloody end. He shuddered at the dark imagination of what Gaara could have done. A little while later, Gai joined the other _Jounin_ until one of the medical ninjas approached him.

The medical ninja bowed humbly. "Are you Gai-_sensei_?"

Gai could only nod numbly in his state of shock as the medic beckoned him to follow him. "May I talk to you in private?"

Gai's expression dropped a more crestfallen expression as Gai followed the medic into the infirmary room with Lee lying on the bed, unconscious. Many of the medical ninjas had begun applying first aid treatment and also trying to mend his bones. Gai blanched slightly at the bluish blackish marks on Lee's skin along with the dangling state. Gai shuddered at the gruesome image as Lee's breathing became even more laboured with them placing an oxygen mask on his face. The smell of the antibiotics wafted into the air as Gai winced at them smearing the medicine all over Lee's wounds.

Gai managed to break the silence; the words felt more that they were ripped from his throat while he continued watching the procedure. "Will he be alright?"

Glancing back at Gai after finally repairing most of Lee's wounds, the medical ninja shook his head gravely. "I'm afraid that all his wounds are fatal. Although his life isn't in danger, most of his physicals have been dreadfully affected. With his body like this..."

"He will never become a _shinobi _again."

Gai stared blankly and disbelievingly with his eyes widening with horror as he looked at his favourite student. Lee had been the only one who had ever trained the way he had done. Lee took up the intense physical training and went as far as pushing himself over his limit. The boy constantly had the fire burning determination to be the best _Taijutsu_ master in history even if Neji constantly beat him down with the _Jyuuken_ style. Gai sullenly trudged along with a darkened expression; what would Lee do now? His dreams had been completely crushed by a monster. Was he not prepared enough? No, he didn't prepare Lee well enough to face monsters like the red head. Neji and Ten-ten remained very quiet as their teacher silently took his place next to them.

Ten-ten didn't need to be a genius to know what had happened. "I feel bad for Lee. I mean, he is pretty good."

Neji maintained a callous and nonchalant expression. "Destiny had determined that Lee would lose from the start. After all, destiny is a cruel mistress isn't she?"

Ten-ten bit her lower lip at the callousness of Neji's words but hung her head sadly at the thought of Lee being completely thrown out of the _shinobi_ world. The brown haired Hyuuga definitely stood as the complete opposite compared to the coffee blonde one that her fellow weapon specialist had ended up with. While Neji constantly maintained a cold appearance, Gray also had that cold side but somehow maintained an approachable aura despite it. Hinata on the other hand seemed more withdrawn and kind compared to her cousin. Neji definitely had a darker colder aura – if anything, she could easily imagine Neji heartlessly holding a knife and stabbing someone. Hinata wouldn't even hurt a fly while Gray would probably shoo away the fly before freezing it if it had become too irritating. Ever since she had become Neji's teammate, everything about him flew straight into her mind including his strange annoyance and infatuation with _Konohagakure_'s famous child arsonist.

**Yamanaka Izumi**

**VS.**

**Dosu Kinuta**

The redhead Yamanaka, seeing her name, quickly finished her last check-up on Sasuke's body before jumping up in delight. "Whoopee! It's my turn now!"

However, her heart dropped the moment she realized Sasuke wouldn't be there to watch her.

Izumi felt her heart pounding while she took every step down the stairs before looking towards her opponent. She frowned slightly at the man's appearance; wasn't this one of the men she had fought in the forest when Sasuke had been completely injured? Wasn't he one of the fighters Gray had frozen? Although she couldn't really count who got frozen, burned and smashed by the famous three, Izumi sighed deeply to herself before taking another step forward into the battlefield. She knew her teammates definitely had the upper hand in combat prowess but she definitely knew that she was not small fry. If anything, Ino may be better than her in terms of coming up with new techniques and the paper grades but keeping a cool head and doing what was right? Yep, that was more her department. Ino definitely sparked up things and picked up more fights whereas Sakura sat on the sidelines only until the _Chuunin _exams. Izumi snorted; there's no way she could lose! All her teammates had won their matches straight out and Taichi even managed to go completely berserk. Gray dealt with the other sound ninja and Mimi burned the poor girl into pieces. There's no way she could shame herself!

Asuma looked at Shikamaru before smiling sympathetically. "Looks like you have no opponent. Don't worry; I'm sure there will be one for you in the finals."

The Nara member groaned before placing his hands behind his head. "How troublesome."

Kinuta and Izumi faced each other with a fierce glare glinting in their eyes. Trying to calm down her palpitating heart, Izumi knew the capabilities of the sound ninjas. Was this same man she had faced back there in the Forest of Death? She remembered the first team they had come across as a shiver went straight down her spine. Their power easily overwhelmed Mimi and Gray; both ninjas who had been personally trained and raised by Takagi under his own roof! She remembered the howls of anger and vengeance that screamed straight through the forest that even the trees cowered in fear. Snow had begun to descend from the sky as Gray unleashed a whole new mystical set of creatures and even revealed some huge mechanical engine along with a rabbit and some strange creature. Whatever it was, she didn't want to know. She remembered the fear that paralysed them back there but fighting this ninja would be different!

Kinuta chuckled darkly, readying his armband. "It seems to me that the _Konohagakure_ ninjas have been poor in choosing their examinees."

Izumi twitched furiously, unveiling her rose whip and snapping it against the floor. "Heh, I wouldn't be so sure! I remember Gray floored your friend in a matter of minutes. He pretty much froze him and Mimi burned your little girl into oblivion. You know, those are the last two people you wanna piss off. Nobody messes with Team Takagi! No one!"

As the match began, Izumi wasted no time in hurling several _shurikens_ as Dosu deflected it with his armband. Seeing that he had an arm guard, Izumi snaked her whip in a full lashing pattern before winding it around his left arm. Kinuta snorted and let out a grunt before slamming his sound band against the whip, immediately throwing it into an awry pattern. A smirk crossed his features as he launched himself towards the red haired Yamanaka _kunoichi_ without any hesitance as he threw quick punches and kicks. Izumi pushed herself back before whirling the whip in a circular motion to throw him back, watching his movements carefully with each and every stride he took. She bit her lower lip before zooming straight into the circle and kicking him straight into the face until his arm guard absorbed the impact. She pushed herself off before landing a distance away from him with her whip lying right next to her.

Kinuta scoffed darkly, seeing sweat already pouring down her face. "Is that all? Pathetic."

Without any warning, Izumi lashed out her whip once more as Kinuta moved out of the way and punched Izumi in the stomach and sent her flying. He continued to close the distance between them before throwing more punches and kicks before slamming his leg for a hammer kick against her ribs. Izumi coughed slightly before twisting her body in mid-air to avoid another kick from Kinuta before snapping her whip right around his leg and flinging him over. Kinuta slid forward for a full 180 degree split before flinging a few _kunai_ towards Izumi's face. With a complete bend back, Izumi narrowly dodged the _kunai_ as one managed to create a split end on of her braids. As she managed to recover, Kinuta wasn't sure what he was now facing because Izumi now had hair all over her face and her braids now in a complete mess. Her favourite strings and ribbons for her hair lay littered on the ground and her lavender eyes glinted akin to an invitation from Death.

Taichi whimpered before sinking down to the ground, cowering in fear. "Uh-oh."

Manyama chuckled nervously as she suddenly heard lighting crackle outside with the skies and the lighting inside become visibly darker. "She's ultra pissed. Anyone who messes her hair ends up having a caged death match with her. She DOESN'T I repeat DOESN'T forgive anyone who messes her hair regardless of who it is. Seriously, who wants to mess up her hair – it's like getting yourself screwed ten times over."

Even Gray had visibly shivered at the sight of an angry Izumi. "Last time I did that, do you know what she did to me?"

"Pure agony," Mimi swallowed hard at the sight of an angry Izumi, hugging her body. "Sure, you're scary when you go berserk and even Taichi is but you know what they say..."

Takagi shook his head before sighing apologetically at Kinuta, making the sign of the cross. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Remind me to burn incense for the poor kid."

Whether or not Kinuta had sensed her wrath, nobody knew but Izumi didn't care whether or not he did as she cracked her whip harshly against the ground. "Nobody messes with my hair. Sound ninja or not, I will personally castrate you!"

Kinuta snickered slightly with a condescending scoff. "Oh really? You, the weakest of Team Takagi, are going to castrate me? Please, you probably wouldn't be able to smash my armband if you were told."

Okay if anyone thought that Mimi or Gray or Taichi had been scary as berserkers, Izumi probably embodied more fury and wrath altogether.

Nobody knew what happened but Izumi simply – snapped. Her eyes flared with fury as she whirled her whip around with blinding speed as rose petals started falling around. She danced around quickly with Kinuta dodging the slapping attempts with not much ease. His eyes widened as thorns suddenly appeared and flew straight for his face before bringing up his sound band to deflect it. Izumi launched herself towards him once more with more rose petals blinding his vision only to feel a kick connect squarely with his jaw and sent him sprawling down to the ground. His eyes widened when she grabbed his scarf and flung him aside before stabbing her whip through the floor. Wait, Kinuta stared aghast – she STABBED her whip through the floor?!

Ino gulped, watching thorny swords suddenly rush up from the ground. "This is bad. Izumi is a nasty person when someone wrecks her hair or calls her weak for that matter."

Izumi snaked out her whip and rose petals flew everywhere, unleashing an unholy rage and sending razor sharp petals towards Kinuta. "I'M GOING TO CASTRATE YOU, YOU LITTLE SON OF A BITCH!"

Kinuta had already considered Gray and Mimi dangerous as he sweatdropped at the combination of team members his opponent had. She barely showed any signs of aggression in comparison to the other three who had been infamous for easily wrecking public property without even intending to do so. The audience however had been more shocked that the normally very affable and sweet Izumi had suddenly become a wrathful, howling creature with blazing purple eyes that spelled the poor boy's funerals. Kinuta darted to one side as the rose petals sliced through the floors, wrecking the tiles from once where he once stood. He pondered deeply, wondering where he had heard their names until his body completely froze in realization. Orochimaru had been studying the five of them for some time now as a few names echoed in his mind.

_Yamato Taichi, Seiryuu no Jinchuuriki and also known as the Ryu no Oujisama_

_Uchiha Mimi or otherwise known as Gouka no Mimi or Amaterasu_

_Hyuuga Gray known also as the Petenshi or Jack Frost_

_Uzami Manyama – Heika no Oujousama_

But there was one that shook more fear into him than the rest...

_Izumi no Shinkou..._

As simple as it sounded, Kinuta sniggered at first at the title probably due to her bright red hair that could easily have a bull rampaging to chase her down. However, what he did not expect was to find someone more psychopathic hidden under the team's medical ninja. Seeing the dancing red petals and the scratches and slashes all over his shirt, Kinuta found himself more terrified of the girl rather than the other two boys that had shown some sense of combat prowess. Kin barely had Genjutsu resilience; that was normal and the Uchiha had high speciality in those kinds of techniques. Mimi basically had scared Kin into a vegetative comatose; she started blabbering catatonic nonsense before completely passing out. As the rose whip curled around his arm band, Kinuta immediately used sound waves and slashed off the whip.

Izumi narrowed her eyes before snapping and retracting her whip. "Tch...!"

Rushing towards her to see her caught off guard, Kinuta struck her with his armband and sound waves struck her ear drums. Izumi clamped her ears and dodged most of Kinuta's attacks before landing a good kick against his jaws before managing to throw her body to perform a handless cartwheel. As Kinuta stumbled back, Izumi immediately rushed towards him again with her punches raining down on him without any warning or hesitation. She punched his face left and right before giving him a right hook under his jaw and landing a left uppercut before finally finishing him off with a full roundhouse kick that sent him flying towards the wall. People couldn't understand; was it something that red heads had or was it the weather?

"Is it just me or did all the red heads suddenly break lose," Taichi hid behind the railing while watching Izumi rain more attacks.

Takagi shrugged with a sigh before shaking his head, wondering how much therapy or patience her parents had. "If there is anyone who has vanity personality disorder, it's her."

"But she normally doesn't care when I ruffle her hair," Gray raised an eyebrow, finally managing to lift himself from the ground.

"That's because she knows how pointless it is to fight with someone who can freeze her plants, Gray."

However, everyone flinched the moment Izumi began spinning her whip in a fast tornado-like motion. "End of the line, jackass!"

As her rose whip began to dance, Izumi shattered her whip against the ground as rose petals rose into the air aiming all straight at Kinuta. His eyes widened as they immediately sharpened their petals into scary _kunai_ as Izumi glared deathly back at him. He had no idea how he was going to repel a whole barrage of razor sharp rose petals.

Standing darkly, Izumi howled an shiver-inducing giggle before letting out a witch-like cackle and performing a whole set of _ninjitsu _seals. "_Soubi no Kyuuden_: _Ikachigensouteki_!" [Rose Palace: Grim Fairytale]

_How did she develop so quickly?_

Takagi found himself completely baffled by Izumi's progress. Constantly, she had made herself the medic of the team and cared constantly for her teammates' wounds despite her fan girl obsession with Sasuke. Unlike the other fan girls at the least, she did not stalk him or try to flirt with him. She cared deeply for her teammates and sometimes even slapped some sense into them. Yes she barely got involved with physical confrontation – that was more Taichi and Gray's job since the bluenette just ran in like a crazed maniac on sugar while Gray believed in the code of chivalry that the man should protect the girls. Takagi chuckled; the first time Gray used that excuse on Mimi – the female Uchiha had been trying to burn him only to decide later that she would tickle him to death until he gave in and took it back. Manyama hadn't been too keen on that either but she appreciated Gray's sense of devotion and loyalty to the team nonetheless. Izumi however welcomed the thought gladly and chose not to fight too much unless pushed against the wall like a cornered rat. He never expected her to fight viciously or to cackle like a witch; Izumi had been the more the sweet type and the more forgiving among the five ninjas. If he would arrange it order in terms of forgiveness level, Izumi would definitely be the highest followed by Gray, Taichi and Manyama and then Mimi being the most unforgiving and the most ruthless of them all. He wanted to face-palm right there and then; his students really did have shit for brains sometimes.

Rose petals rained from the air as Kinuta desperately danced around to dodge the flying rose petals. Most of the rose petals sharpened themselves like knives before they started piercing through the cement tiles on the ground. Izumi rushed forward with dancing whips lashing back and forth as Kinuta found himself facing not just one but two whips – one in each hand. Her lavender eyes blazed with fury as she kicked the guy straight in the face before wrapping the boy in the thorny whips. Kinuta winced at the thorns ripping and digging into his skin as his armband vibrated with sound waves to slash them away. To his horror, more rose petals converged towards him and began smashing him left and right.

Izumi screamed with utter fury before spitting venomously. "NO ONE MESSES WITH MY HAIR AND CALLS ME WEAK! YOU GOT IT!?"

Her whip's thorns dug into Kinuta's clothing and his skin and even some of the thorns were stuck. Petals continued to rain in and smash him left and right. Kinuta could barely keep his balance as he tried to get a good view of his opponent in order to exploit one of the openings but no, Izumi had summoned more rose petals. Damn, Kinuta swore darkly while having the petals rip him apart as his vision started getting blurry. Did the whip also have some venom? Whatever it was, he started seeing nothing but red before finally collapsing onto the ground. People could barely say anything until Izumi suddenly snapped back to her normal self.

"Eh, what happened here," Izumi blinked before seeing Kinuta buried under rose petals and blood pooling beneath him. "WAAAAAH, WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?"

Mimi facepalmed before she leapt over the railing, grabbing Izumi and throwing her right over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Jesus Christ, I forgot – this woman's hemophobic!"

As she managed to shove Izumi away before the poor girl had fainted right there and then, Hayate immediately declared. "Winner, Yamanaka Izumi!"

Mimi managed to haul Izumi back to her team before the two crash landed on the ground. "God, this woman is so weird!"

Izumi stuck out her tongue before leaning against the wall. "You're weird too."

"Well too bad, I got an excuse to be weird," Mimi stuck out her tongue right back at her before slumping against the wall, sliding onto the ground.

Hayate soon declared out to the people, revealing names and pictures on the screen. "Congratulations to all who have passed!"

**Aburame Shino**

**Hyuuga Gray**

**Hyuuga Neji**

**Nara Shikamaru**

**Sabaku no Gaara**

**Temari**

**Uchiha Mimi**

**Uchiha Sasuke**

**Uzami Manyama**

**Uzumaki Naruto**

**Yamanaka Izumi**

**Yamato Taichi**

Gai stood proudly next to Neji as Takagi ruffled the hair of Taichi before all three except Mimi and Gray leapt into his arms and tackled him for a big hug. Kakashi chuckled lightly at the sight of Sasuke's name and Naruto leaping up for joy. Temari and Gaara remained extremely silent after following after their teacher. Kurenai smiled at Shino who simply nodded in response. Asuma chuckled lightly at Shikamaru who only let out a groan in annoyance. Many of the others hung their head shamefully but some others were simply more psyched to enter and graduate the next time. As soon as they all began leaving the tower and back into the village, Kakashi left off the other two to check on Sasuke. The boy had been confined into the hospital for awhile ever since his sealing. The silver haired _Jounin_ chuckled; who knew that Naruto, despite his constant failures, managed to make it through the exam? Gai had left Neji to his own devices, saying that he would like to check up on Lee first. Asuma let Shikamaru off with Ino and Chouji whereas Kurenai left Kiba and Shino in order to check on Hinata. Takagi on the other hand wanted to make sure he had dealt with all the paperwork and left the five to their own devices with Manyama in charge.

Soon, the kids gathered up in the garden with the three logs before all falling onto the ground. Neji leaned against the trees while Ten-ten decided to lay flat on the grass. Taichi began rolling around before lying splat down on the ground similarly to a starfish. Gray on the other hand leaned against one of the logs before breathing in the fresh breeze while Mimi decided to let out a small flame and cook some vegetables she bought from the market.

"You know what," Neji smirked and stood up from where he sat, catching everyone's attention while casting a foreboding glance at Gray. "Why don't we settle this now? I am tired of seeing your face as hearing you being accepted as one of the members of the Hyuuga clan."

Gray chuckled humourlessly before throwing his black hoodie aside at Mimi much to the female Uchiha's frustration, revealing his naked upper body with a mischievous glint in his emerald eyes. "Fine by me, I always wondered what made you such a retard in the first place anyway."

Ten-ten immediately sat up; this was a first to see Neji being the one to start a fight. "Neji...!"

As the two took their position, Gray and Neji stared darkly at one another. Both of them in their positions for the _Jyuuken_ style while watching each other carefully. The leaves danced around them as Gray and Neji continued trying to watch whichever the other may do. As the fifth leaf nearly touched the blade of grass, Neji sprinted immediately towards Gray as the coffee blonde parried the punches away. The explosions of _chakra_ coming from Neji really scared the others back as Gray brushed away his attacks, not even bothering to go on offensive. His emerald eyes remained calm as he unleashed a butterfly kick to create a distance between him and Neji. The brown haired Hyuuga male stared him down as he lunged towards him once more.

"YOU DON'T DESERVE THE NAME OF THE HYUUGA CLAN," Neji seethed viciously as his hand prepared to punch Gray back.

However, Gray's response prompted Neji to stare in shock as Gray danced right around him and ended up behind him.

"You don't deserve to be called a _ninja_ let alone abide to the code of the _shinobi_."

Before Neji could look back, Gray gave him a good round house kick and sent Neji towards the ground. The brunette Hyuuga, tumbling away, watched Gray suddenly vanish from his line of sight as another punch sent him flying towards the trees. Neji twisted his body around to avoid the impact before throwing a punch against Gray's face. The two tumbled onto the ground with the coffee blonde leaning against the tree for support whereas Neji remained standing but slightly slouched.

"Gray," Manyama prepared to leap in only to be held back by Taichi. "What in the world are you doing?"

Taichi shook his head, biting his lower lip darkly. "We can't interfere. This is Gray's fight. Manyama-_chan_, please keep quiet about this from Takagi-_sensei_."

Izumi and Manyama immediately stood up and Ten-Ten tried to move in and stop Neji but Gray and Neji's exchange became even too fast even for their eyes to continue watching. Gray's right hand flew to parry Neji's strike as he started swinging left and right to avoid his punches before finally landing a punch against Neji's stomach. The brunette spat venomously before rushing towards Gray again. The coffee blonde narrowed his eyes as he sprinted back and side-stepped to avoid Neji's hits.

"I don't want to fight you," Gray bit his lower lip but his eyes started glinting dangerously. "But if you insist on the matter, I will destroy you."

As Neji's fist nearly collided with Gray's face, the coffee blonde Hyuuga decided that he had enough. Sliding right past Neji's attack, Gray took hold on Neji's arm before hitting several points on his arm and then finally landing one blow on Neji's rib. As the boy fell over, Gray leaned back for a defensive stance as Neji stared down at him venomously. Mimi immediately ran over to Gray and prepared to burn Neji until kingdom come until the coffee blonde boy placed his hand in front of her. Neji once again went rushing towards him until a large smoke cloud appeared between both Gray and Neji, revealing Takagi and Gai. Neji had his fist held back and Takagi stood in front of Gray, barely flinching.

"What? Why is it he gets special treatment," Neji struggled against Gai as his _sensei_ shook his head.

"Neji, enough. I don't think the Hyuuga clan wants more trouble to deal with," Gai frowned at the hot-tempered Hyuuga; it was very rare for Neji to erupt this quickly.

Takagi glanced at Gray who barely had any scratches on him but more dirt from the mud before letting out a sigh. "Gray, you didn't provoke him did you?"

Izumi hissed darkly in Gray's defence, marching up to her _sensei_ before jabbing her finger venomously at Neji. "Neji was the one who started it! He kept saying that Gray didn't deserve the name of the Hyuuga clan!"

Mimi activated her _Sharingan_, seething glacially. "Fuck whatever he says, Gray can beat the shit out of him any day!"

Ten-ten narrowed her eyes at the female Uchiha. "Leave Neji alone! You don't know the half of who Neji is!"

Gray and Neji maintained a hostile gaze before finally relenting to their _sensei_. Seeing that his student had relented, Gai stood up and bowed humbly to Takagi. "Forgive Neji, his youth makes him reckless."

Takagi chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "It's alright. Boys will always be boys. We were once like that also."

However, Neji and Gray continued darkly staring at each other as the brunette Hyuuga hissed.

"You'll regret taking on the name of the Hyuuga clan!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 22! Please review!**


	23. The Night Before the Storm

**(I don't own Naruto!)**

Chapter 23 – Night before the Storm

_Power._

That was the one thing that Sasuke Uchiha had craved so badly ever since that day.

Glaring at the small crack in front of him, Sasuke winced at the sweat pouring down his face. His body screamed in agony after the constant training he had run himself through but he didn't care about that. The new technique sitting in front of him proved to be something he could use more than most things that he had researched up himself. Power surged through his body constantly having to check on his vampire bite didn't suit well for him. However, he couldn't help but start scratching the back of his neck and growling in annoyance at his new vampire bite. How did a vampire bite get this damn itchy? Sasuke snorted indignantly to himself as he started scratching the markings on his neck. Kakashi had begun training him ever since the hospital had discharged him. He lifted his dirtied arm slightly as he started imagining the streams of light once again in his mind. Flames danced around in the darkness as he closed his eyes imagining blue sparks crackling in his mind.

_I need that power. I HAVE TO LIVE!_

Kakashi on the other hand looked at one side while watching his pupil desperately try to charge up electricity. He frowned slightly at the flashing glimmers in the younger Uchiha's eyes. Sasuke pushed himself to the limit and would pursue anything to gain power even if he had to sacrifice his sanity. The way he had been pushing himself – it proved how Sasuke would place power as a priority over everything else. His goal for revenge – had it not changed? Perhaps, Kakashi mused darkly to himself. He had only wished hanging around Naruto and the others would have at least curbed his desire for power and vengeance even a little bit. But his superiority complex and his inferiority complex started kicking things into a mess. Ever since he had started working with the coffee blonde male Hyuuga clan member, Sasuke had developed a down right obsession with the boy. He remembered how they interacted with one another during their missions although the silver haired _Jounin _was not sure whether or not Gray had the same mentality. Both of them had lost their families to estranged killers except Sasuke had a stronger relation to the killer himself biologically. Gray witnessed the whole family slaughter before his eyes whereas Sasuke was lucky enough to not hear the screams of agony and have the blood splatter in his face. How did the two suddenly develop so differently?

_How did Takagi curb Gray's desire for vengeance? Did the boy even have any desire to avenge his family?_

_Mimi seemed pretty off with it too,_ his other self argued with him. _She snarls at Sasuke and openly displays her disdain for him._

Perhaps, it was a result of suppression. Mimi had released and openly displayed everything. She didn't need to hide anything.

Kakashi frowned slightly at the boy who had continued to attack the rock with much difficulty. Cutting through the rock with electricity was no joke and since it was near the spectrum of fire – it should at least give Sasuke some edge to it. Kakashi narrowed his eyes darkly at the thought. The appearance of the cursed seal continued to make him feel completely uneasy. Sasuke started throwing tantrums when the sparks of lightning had not obeyed him and actually blew him backwards a few times. He couldn't help but wonder how far Orochimaru had probed through the younger male's mind.

_Maybe Takagi could give me a little input. He has more experience with children than I ever will._

While Kakashi was training Sasuke, Neji and Gray hadn't spoken to each other since their last skirmish. Neji glared darkly at Gray who in returned had a cold nasty look on his face every time the other Hyuuga had glared at him. With Hinata in the hospital in almost critical condition, Gray had every reason to throw his punches at Neji. As her cousin even though he had only stayed for a few months, Gray knew the meaning of placing his personal feelings before the mission whereas Neji had let his disdain for his cousin to rush him down. However, Gray couldn't help but wonder what his cousin had against him. During his times in the Hyuuga house when Konoha had put him there, Gray barely interacted with Neji although it was more like never. People ignored him in the Hyuuga house except Hinata's mother, Hinata herself and even Hanabi reminded him of the sister he had failed to save. That is, until he decided to play with the plumbing with Taichi and Mimi and flood the whole academy. He racked his brains for any possible motive but nothing appeared; what exactly did Neji go through? The coffee blonde male sighed deeply while looking back at the lake and watching the water ripple and reflect back his emerald green eyes.

Neji on the other hand had continued to glare at the boy who managed to weasel his way into the clan. The brunette scowled at Gray's luck – no cursed seal, no nothing. Gray had no forced ties to the Hyuuga clan yet the boy served them willingly without them having to brand him with a seal. It infuriated him; how dare he take on the name Hyuuga without their trademark opal colored irises staring back at them? His mastery of the _Byakuggan _– it completely mocked his! Neji could clearly see _chakra_ points but for him to anticipate attacks when the _Byakuggan_ was based purely on tracking and raising the accuracy of the strike. Who was his father? Come to think of it, Neji mused darkly before glancing at Gray. He looked like nothing like any of the average ninjas. Sure, Ino was blonde but she had some Japanese feature to her expressions and facial structure. Gray on the other hand had a more foreign appearance and he never found people with eyes that green. Sakura had green eyes but Gray's almost reminded him of dark green emeralds. Secondly, he was the tallest (another thing Neji hated to admit). Neji had always been labeled small when he was a child and when he first saw Gray – the boy was already a head ahead of him in terms of height.

Ten-Ten tapped his shoulder before sitting next to him, looking at him with a concerned expression. "Are you okay, Neji?"

Neji brushed her off with an indignant snort. "I'm fine, Ten-Ten. I have a few things on my mind."

"Hey dipshit, wanna have a go since you got me all fired up?"

Neji swiveled his head and Gray stared aghast at his Uchiha step-sister who cracked her knuckles with a maniacal grin.

"Mimi, I hope your brain didn't just melt back there," Gray twitched slightly, seeing his sister challenge the Hyuuga genius. _I really hate it when people get involved with the politics!_

Neji smirked before standing up. "You Uchiha were always crazy for battle. If I remember right, even Sasuke has that tendency."

"Bah, don't compare me to that asshole," Mimi picked her ears before tossing her hair back with a snort, pulling out a couple of _kunai_. "Let's dance, girly man!"

Gray sighed deeply before nonchalantly shrugging. "Whatever, it's your funeral Mimi."

"I have no interest in fighting crazed arsonists," Neji scoffed haughtily before looking away and sitting down once again. "I refuse to fight psychopaths especially if my opponent is a psychotic female arsonist."

What the Hyuuga brunette however did not expect was a huge fireball zooming towards him and forcing him to jump up with Mimi flying straight at him. His eyes widened slightly as his hands flew back and forth to redirect Mimi's punches and kicks. He swung down in mid-air as Mimi managed to whirl around and land a kick against his chest and sending him straight into the ground. Neji however managed to recover before managing to grab her hand and disable both her arms. Snorting in annoyance, Mimi inhaled deeply before launching a spit loogie in his face and forcing him to look away. With a huge grin, she managed to recover despite the loss of feeling in her arms and clumsily unleashed Gray's signature butterfly and bicycle kick combination but not before slamming straight into the ground due to lack of balance. She spat out the grass as Neji stood over her with a darkened sneer.

"Humph, you're nothing but all bark but no bite," Neji sneered darkly, folding his arms.

"Fuck," Mimi activated her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_, staring straight into his eyes. "You."

Neji prepared to shut his eyes but Mimi deactivated it in a split second before locking him in a scissor kick and sending him to the ground as well.

"BAHAHAHAHAHA, LOOK WHO'S TALKING, YOU ROTTEN SHIT," Mimi grinned before looking over to her foster brother. "_Aniki_, help."

Gray sighed in defeat before walking over to his foster sister and reactivating her arms, pulling her off the ground. "You really shouldn't do that."

Mimi managed to stand up with an impish pout. "But it's his fault!"

Ten-ten narrowed her eyes at the female Uchiha in exasperation, preparing to throw an assault of weapons. "You were the one who threw the fireball!"

Seeing that another fight was gonna start, Taichi immediately stepped in between them while Gray held back Mimi and Neji had already tugged Ten-ten by her shirt. "Has anyone heard when the next match will be?"

They all shook their heads. "Nope. But according to the seniors, they usually said it happens a day after the preliminaries," Shino let a beetle fly off his finger.

Sakura watched the others chatter excitedly before hanging her head. "I couldn't even defeat Ino… and all of you guys managed to pass."

Taichi grinned happily, patting Sakura on the shoulder. "It's okay! That means there's still more room for improvement! Looking at the bright side, Ino and you got into a draw. That's not too bad."

Naruto on the other hand began jumping around happily and enthusiastically. "I beat Kiba! Yahoo! I can't wait to fight my next opponent!"

Manyama watched her friends play around as if nothing happened. Although the tensions between Neji and Gray were really strained, she could see how Mimi despite her cynical and very arsonist tendencies would get along well with Chouji's love for food. After coming back from supermarket, Chouji watched Mimi barbecue the meat slices and some sliced zucchini with her _Katon Goukkakyou no Jutsu _while Ino had begun helping Sakura deal with her split ends. Despite their so-called rivalries, everyone lived like family. Manyama smiled lazily before leaning against the tree and looking at the sky. Clouds began to drift past as another person suddenly sat down next to her, prompting her to look up. Manyama soon found Shikamaru lying next to her.

"Meh, don't mind me," Shikamaru closed his eyes while inhaling the sweet spring air.

Manyama blushed slightly at his very lax expression before turning her attention to the other ninjas of _Konohagakure_. Shikamaru lay back comfortably against the tree as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The weapon specialist had to bite her lower lip to resist the urge to brush away a stray strand on his face. Gray and Taichi already got into their usual squabbles and since they were pretty well trained (even she knew what kind of havoc the two could wreak on the world together), the two boys began wrestling and throwing kicks and punches at one another like higher ranked ninjas. The only thing was – they relied purely on _Taijutsu_ for now. Takagi made a strict rule for the two to never use their _ninjitsu_ against one another otherwise, really bad things would happen. She remembered the first time Gray and Taichi snapped. Gray had given Taichi second degree frost bites and Taichi had broken the boy's left leg by accident. From then on, Taichi hated cold places and suffered drastically and Gray had stamina issues especially when his knee would suddenly cave in.

"Well, look who it is. I didn't know the retards all gathered here."

Manyama and everyone suddenly swiveled their heads towards a bunch of ninjas. The weapon specialist glared darkly at the boys that walked up to her. Ever since she had displayed her genius as a weapons specialist and acknowledging herself as the heiress to the Uzami clan, boys had been on her tail. To be honest, she found them quite irritating. The only thing she didn't do was clobber them with the butt end of her _kunai_ or maybe ask Mimi to breathe fire and scare them with whatever illusion she had in her arsenal. Gray had happily offered to make them piss in their pants but Manyama kindly declined his offer although she knew how tempting it was but also remembered how dangerous Gray's pranks were. The group of boys followed behind a dark brown haired male with a pair of mismatched eyes: one molten gold and the other one dark malachite green. She snorted in annoyance as he flicked back his curly dark brown hair although he would have been okay if his attitude didn't lose against a sewer.

"Manyama-_chan_, since when did you hang out with a bunch of commoners," the boy chuckled smoothly with a haughty smirk. "You should be with us. I mean – shinobi are simply footmen of the village. As the daughter of the Uzami Shogunate, you are higher and actually have the authority to order them around."

The weapon specialist took a step back in revulsion, seething her response through her teeth. "Forget it, Tokugawa-_san_."

He flipped back his hair with a smirk. "Why are you hanging out with them? They're not good enough for you."

Manyama narrowed her eyes at him, making sure her hand stayed very far away from her _kunai_. "They're my friends! You don't even know them! Mind your own business!"

The boy walked up to Taichi and Naruto, sneering at their appearance. "My mother says you guys are nothing but containers of demons. The_ Kyuubi_ killed_ Yondaime_ and you were just kept alive since you're the only thing keeping back that creature. But other than that, you're useless," –referring to Naruto before he went on grabbing Taichi by his shirt. "You're the son of a dead clan – the Yamato clan should have stayed buried in the ground before your mom decided to sell you off. You guys should be dead instead!"

Taichi grabbed the boy by his shirt, meeting the intensity of his glare with his green reptilian eyes revealing themselves. "Oh yeah, you wanna know the real crap that a dragon can dish out, sissy man? You're a bigger sissy than Izumi and I already know that she's squeamish around blood!"

"Hey!"

Tokugawa plucked Taichi's fingers before throwing the bluenette aside onto the dirt, prompting Taichi to spit out the soil that made its way to his mouth. "You're better off there, lizard. Seiryuu may be one of the celestial beasts but you're a fool to think you can roam among us, dirt."

Gray immediately stepped in between them, pulling back Taichi before the dragon can claw out his face. "Take it easy, boulder breath," – glaring at Tokugawa with his infamous Trickster glare, Gray stood in between them. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The boy stepped back but manned up immediately, shoving Gray back. "You have no right to talk to me, reject! You say you're from the Hyuuga clan but you don't even look it! I bet your dad was insane and your mom was whore. Besides, even a lot of people said that your mom came from some imaginary world! I bet you your mom didn't even exist!"

What he didn't expect however was a huge torrent of boiling hot water splash straight in his face with a huge rock fist slamming into his gut.

The boy slid back in admonishment. Gray narrowed his eyes but he found Taichi with his palm planted in the ground as a stone fist suddenly emerged from the ground and knocking the boy over. Gray bit his lower lip; he knew he was going to answer to Takagi later and probably the Ninja Council along with the Hokage. There were many other events that he had actually boiled the water due to anger but he never suspected that he could do it on a psychic level and actually create a projectile out of it. Hmm, a sly smirk suddenly curved up the Trickster's lips, it definitely sounded interesting. Taichi on the other hand blinked in surprise how he managed to channel his _chakra_ before the stones crumbled into nothing but little pebbles on the ground. A frown caused him to knot his eyebrows together; he definitely needed Izumi's help in _chakra_ control.

"You know nothing about us," Gray seethed in a demonic voice, much to everyone's surprise.

"THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS MESS WITH ME," Taichi growled draconically with his hands and feet planted on the ground into the earth, as if drawing power from it. "COME ON, I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

Izumi shivered in fear as she noticed the lake slowly began to boil and the skies became gray with rain pattering and smashing against the grass with the ground trembling slightly. Being part of an earth and wood release spectrum, the Yamanaka female could feel the earth trembling in fear in response to Taichi's _chakra_. If anything, whenever he went berserk – she remembered how it could go on for hours. Gray had kept quiet about his emotional troubles but somewhat enjoyed angering and annoying people. However, he was one of the last to snap. However, a huge fire ball suddenly zoomed towards the boy and nearly burned his feet and revealed Mimi behind the two angry males. On the other hand, people soon began to see why Team Takagi had been granted permission for higher missions. Neji stared in astonishment as the water near him began to bubble and boil. No wonder the Hyuuga clan hadn't branded him; imagine the tantrum he could throw and what kind of weather effect he brought with him. What exactly was his mother? His father was definitely a Hyuuga; Hyuuga Hiashi had mentioned his father's name somewhere but his mother remained to be an anomaly. Naruto couldn't believe the kind of power pouring out Taichi's body. He only managed to talk to the _Kyuubi_ once but Taichi had the ability to tap into his power by will while he had to get pissed or someone had to torture him emotionally.

"What the bloody fuck is your problem, sissy boy," Mimi hissed venomously with her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ revealing themselves in her eyes. "When you mess with one, you get the whole family. We may be a bunch of neurotics and psychos but that don't mean we don't care about each other, shit head!"

Tokugawa staggered back before dusting himself with an indignant snort. "Humph, it's only normal for those who are of the same feather to look out for each other. Some psychotics do have their hearts in the right place but only for their own kind," – he smirked before turning to Manyama with his so-called dashing smile. "Manyama-_chan_, I don't think having a walking rain summoner's going to do you good."

However, Manyama responded with a _kunai_ nearly hitting his head. "Stay away from me. If you're going to insult my family, go screw yourself in a ditch!"

"Tch," Tokugawa clucked his tongue as he stormed off, leaving the other ninjas behind.

The ninjas stared in shock as the skies slowly returned back to their normal color and the winds ceased howling and blowing. Izumi touched the ground, feeling the plants' _chakra. _Thankfully, they had calmed down and the trees continued swaying in their old way. Taichi inhaled deeply before falling back to the ground with a goofy grin with his navy blue hair covered in sweat. Gray's coffee blonde hair stuck to his face with the raindrops still dripping from his ponytail. Mimi grinned happily before jumping on her brother's shoulders.

"We got them didn't we," Mimi grinned as Gray pat her head with a trickster smirk.

"Definitely," Gray smirked with a foxy trickster expression, glancing at Izumi. "I must say, you're one hell of an actress."

Izumi flipped her hair with a confident and all-knowing smile. "Well, I knew you couldn't just cause it to rain."

Neji stared agape at his clansman; how did he do that without anyone noticing that it was purely either _Genjutsu_ or pure _chakra_ power? The Hyuuga balled his hands into a fist before ransacking his mind for any possible method that Gray, Mimi and Taichi had been able to pull it off. Izumi had blended easily into the act and Manyama pretty much had an angry expression but knew what her own teammates were capable of. If only Rock Lee were that reliable, Neji mused darkly. Soon, everyone started heading off their separated ways as the sun began to set. Sakura headed off to cook dinner for her family whereas Ino had gone off to manage the flower shop. The rest had left for their personal reasons as Team Takagi and Naruto were left behind. When Sakura left, they continued on to the tree part of Konoha. A huge tree towered straight into the sky with the moonlight lighting up its branches and the tree trunk. Seeing the height of the tree along with the thickness, the dragon grinned happily before glancing at his teammates.

Taichi gestured to the tree with a wily grin. "Last one there has to do extra training and buy me food."

Gray smirked confidently, running his fingers through his coffee blonde bangs. "Bring it on."

Naruto punched the air in confidence. "I'll beat you! Believe it!"

Izumi arrogantly placed her hands on her hips with a confident smile. "I don't have a problem here. Plants are my friends."

Manyama chuckled lightly, spinning a few _kunai_ on her finger. "I've got good chakra control; I won't need to worry much."

The moment the branch cracked, Naruto jumped up to start following after his fellow ninja. Taichi immediately started working his way up and Izumi zoomed right past Gray much to the Trickster's surprise. However, the ice-Hyuuga ninja smirked with a challenge-accepted expression before pushing his legs and body to the limit. Manyama had easily surpassed Taichi and began swinging on the branches. Mimi slipped a few times before managing to kick herself up into the air to keep her feet stuck on the tree trunk. Much to their chagrin, Gray and Taichi stared in shock while Izumi sat down contentedly on one of the branches of the tree.

Izumi wagged her finger apprehensively at the two boys with a childish smile. "See? You boys never learn~."

Taichi's jaw dropped as the boy blinked several times, looking behind him several times. "How come!? You were behind me!"

Izumi giggled slightly, looking at Gray's equally astonished face. "Well, plants are always there to help me no matter what."

Gray rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You imbecile, of course she had a major advantage. She's the plant whisperer."

Taichi snorted in annoyance, flailing his arms and hyperventilating. "BUT PLANTS CAN'T TALK!"

Izumi kicked his face with a disgruntled scoff. "That's because you're too busy blowing up other things!"

Watching Taichi and Izumi fight and argue while hanging on the tree, Naruto blinked several times at the female Uchiha as she grinned goofily. "Don't worry; it's always because Taichi's so dense we have to spell out everything for him."

Gray snickered at the view before walking down calmly. "Come on guys, we have to rest up for tomorrow. We're not sure when the finals will be held."

The kids nodded to one another before saying their goodbyes and heading towards their homes.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was doing the Chidori (thousand flapping birds) over and over again. He was already half exhausted and he had been doing this half the day while Kakashi sat back and relaxed. The male Uchiha glanced at his palm for a moment, biting his lower lip. How long exactly did it take Kakashi to master the technique? The silver haired _Jounin_ had performed it so easily yet his was only a degree lower. He pounded the dirt with his fist, angry at his lack of power. Why couldn't he gain power the way the others had? He had actively pursued it yet Naruto who was the bottom end of his class had begun achieving more than he ever did. Sakura didn't have much to offer but Naruto who started from being a complete failure had instantly over powered Haku the first time they fought in the Wave Village. He remembered the malevolence of the _chakra_ that seeped out of Naruto's body that day and how gray and Naruto constantly had put up for his lack of defense. What was he lacking? Even his so called eccentric cousin had achieved _Mangenkyou_ and despite her repeated use, she showed no evidence of being blind. He remembered reading the texts before that the _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ would compromise his sight if constantly used.

_WHY?! WHAT AM I LACKING?_

Kakashi looked up from his book, watching his student cutting through the trees. "How are you doing?"

Sasuke inhaled deeply, feigning his sense of achievement. "I'm fine. I'm almost done."

Kakashi smirked and continued to read his book. As training progress, Sasuke managed to cut rocks, boulders, trees and even the ground. The silver haired _Jounin_ knew how much potential rested within the younger Uchiha but somehow – there was something holding him back. He replayed all the battles in his mind and noticed one thing: Sasuke came out the most injured. He remembered looking at his records along with the grades that Iruka had given to him the first time Team Seven had been assigned to him. Sasuke had really high grades; no doubt that his ninjitsu mastery was almost perfect next to Sakura's mastery of _chakra_ control. His _Taijutsu_ was beyond average then again, he had Itachi to train him before he went crazy and on a rampage. His sense of _Genjutsu_ was beyond also for a normal _Genin_ but he remembered the lowest scores he got: teamwork and assertiveness.

Kakashi got up before shoving his book in his pocket. "I'll leave you for now. I'm going for a walk. After that, better get cleaned up. You have a match tomorrow."

Kakashi managed to entertain himself but while he walked, he felt a sinister presence. People however didn't look the least disturbed despite the supposed ominous presence. He looked behind him, there was nothing? The moment he looked in front of him, even the crowd he had blended with had vanished from his sight. Kakashi cautiously took a step forward with his eyes darting to and fro to check for any attackers. He heard the leaves rustle in the wind and the wind howled louder than before.

Kakashi held onto his _kunai_ as his eyes narrowed. "Orochimaru…"

When he looked back, Orochimaru was looking over his shoulder with an evil smile. "Not bad but your senses still need work, Kakashi-_kun_."

Kakashi lowered his voice into a fierce whisper. "What do you want now?"

"You know he will come to me by his own free will, don't you?"

Kakashi glared at him disgustedly as Orochimaru sneered darkly, folding his arms. "That boy will become mine. I've already infected him. That boy desires power doesn't he? I can give him that power. He has my eyes."

Kakashi tightened his grip on his _kunai_. "It depends on Sasuke, who knows? The tables might turn on you, Orochimaru."

The snake legendary ninja sneered with an evil smile. "He's not the only one who's interesting. I also found another one who seems as interesting as him."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow, preparing to dart and attack. "Let me guess, the Uchiha Girl?"

Orochimaru chuckled dryly before tossing back his black hair. "Of course not. Once Sasuke belongs to me, the girl is no longer required. She blossomed too early for my tastes. However, there is one more still asleep. With his power, the heavens are under my command. The rain, snow and perhaps even steam and icicles can render this world completely defenseless. Water is a limitless element; it can take any shape and any form. That is what makes it beautiful."

Kakashi remembered Gray before snickering lightly, knowing how stubborn and how mischievous the boy was. "Oh, him. Good luck with that. Gray and a certain teammate of yours had the same eyes he does. Not the killer's eyes but the eyes of a trickster. Didn't Itachi have that same look?"

Orochimaru remembered Itachi's look and Gray seemed to have the same look even if they weren't related to each other. He had remembered seeing Itachi before the Uchiha clan had been slaughtered; the boy had some sense of mischievousness. It was no surprise; Itachi was a prodigy himself. Gray had proved to pick up lessons easily as well. A smirk curved up his lips; things were getting interesting.

He slithered his tongue before vanishing into thin air. "I'll be watching those two and see who's more worthy."

Kakashi stayed frozen for a moment, pondering deeply on Orochimaru's theoretical motives before looking at the sky. "This isn't good, things might get worse."

He walked on, thinking what he should do if Sasuke ever turned against them.

Meanwhile, the others were walking and they saw the hot springs. Then, while they were there, they saw someone that they'd never expect:

Ebisu peeking into the women's room.

_BOOM._

_CRASH!_

_BRASH!_

"AAAAAH! PERVERT!"

"GET HIM AWAY!"

Ebisu lay crumpled on the floor and Taichi blinked several times. "Geez, who in the right mind does that nowadays?"

Gray shrugged lightly, throwing on his towel. "Someone who's forever alone?"

"Yeah, you got a point right there," Taichi and Gray did a bro-fist before walking into the hot spring room, chuckling and laughing at Ebisu's misery.

When they were inside, Naruto inhaled deeply while closing his eyes. "This is the life."

Taichi smiled before looking at the stars. "At least we get to relax once in awhile."

Naruto eased himself against one of the rocks before glancing at the two guys, wiping away his sweat. "Taichi, have you ever seen your parents after…?"

Taichi shook his head sadly, looking into the sky. "Actually, it's really rare. I don't think they even remember my birthday. I was just a stepping stone to my clan's prestige. Not like I do matter to them anymore."

Suddenly, the door slid open and revealed Neji in a towel as well. "I see you're here," – referring to Gray.

Gray shrugged nonchalantly, resting his back against one of the rocks. "I have to relax once in awhile don't I? It's not as if I have an easily replenished battery."

Neji chuckled haughtily, narrowing his opal orbs at the emerald ones. "Humph, you're only powerful in your own element."

Gray rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Isn't that the point why ninjas are taught how to bait and switch?"

Neji snarled darkly before having his hand glowing with _chakra_. As his hand burst with energy, Gray dove into the water as the chakra narrowly missed him with Naruto and Taichi instantly jumping out. The Hyuuga genius mellowed down a little before staring at the calming water. He activated his _Byakuggan_ while looking at the water and seeking Gray's _chakra_. Upon seeing the steam and the heat clogging his vision, Neji let out a frustrated shockwave against the water which knocked down the wall dividing the springs.

When they looked to their left, there were a lot of women there, and only some of them had towels on. All boys were frozen and worst part was – Neji already had his _Byakuggan_ activated and he could see past the towels.

The girls immediately picked up towels and buckets. "Get them!"

Without any hesitation, the boys began running for their lives. Gray and Neji ran at the same pace with Taichi running way ahead of them. Naruto also sped way ahead of Neji and Gray with dust clouding up the two Hyuuga boys' vision.

Neji stared aghast. "How does he manage to do that?"

Gray shrugged before deflecting few of the buckets with _chakra_ waves. "DON'T ASK ME, HE PROBABLY HAD BURITOS FOR LUNCH!"

They were running for their lives and when they got out, they hid in the locker room. As the girls ran past the changing room, Gray, Neji, Naruto and Taichi managed to peek out and check if there were any more women chasing after them. With a relieved sigh, Gray went towards his locker and pulled out his clothes. Naruto ditched his robe before throwing on his jumpsuit along with Taichi throwing on his shirt and pants.

Gray suited up, shaking his head. "I'm getting out of here. If you want to challenge me, challenge me in the final exams."

The next day, the people entered the ring and so did the ninjas. Among them were Neji, Gray, Taichi, Izumi, Mimi, Shino, Temari, Shikamaru, Gaara and the others. Sasuke was missing and made a huge entrance. Everyone stared in shock the moment Naruto suddenly came running in with a bunch of cows and bulls chasing after him until they all clobbered themselves against the wall when Naruto managed to hide himself. Gray snickered slightly; well, it was Naruto after all who was wearing some red dot on his back.

The judge glanced at his checklist. "Alright. I will check your attendance."

As he checked everyone, he noticed Sasuke was missing. Everyone began looking around; where did Sasuke go?

"If he does not show up," Gekkou placed down his clipboard. "He'll have to forfeit his chances of becoming _Chuunin_."

Then, before he could forfeit Sasuke, he appeared with Kakashi.

"Uchiha Sasuke, present."

**-I'm lazy! You know the routine!**


	24. Konoha's Jack Frost

**Me: I do not own Naruto! I own the OC's and their techniques except the Iga-Wa-Ryou techniques of Brave Ten's Anastacia! **

Chapter 24 - Konohagakure's Jack Frost

Sasuke stood beside Kakashi, shocking the crowd. The black haired Uchiha heard gasps and murmurs from the spectators as he glanced at his bandaged hand after the constant training he had put himself through. Many of the ninjas had gathered at the top crowds, including the ones who had lost previously during the first and second trial. Sasuke glanced at his possible competitors and rivals, narrowing his eyes at the appearance of the two Hyuuga ninjas and his cousin. Mimi definitely had more power than she displayed although her main thing was to simply set stuff on fire regardless who it is. Naruto, he couldn't believe a failure like him had advanced so far. During missions, Naruto always found something to screw up regardless of the simplicity. Sasuke balled his hands into a fist upon remembering his match against Haku and how Naruto managed to stand up to him. Although he was unconscious at that point, Gray had told him what he managed to hear and feel through the water and moisture in the air. Sasuke had also managed to catch a glance of Gray's match before leaving with Kakashi. With his techniques, Sasuke was surprised that he managed to stretch his _chakra_ that far. He glowered darkly at how fast Naruto managed to catch up and why Gray constantly had something up his sleeve. He had heard rumours also of Taichi being virtually indestructible, regardless of what he was pelted with. Manyama had the weaponry mastery that of beyond her rank and Izumi definitely showed a lot more than what people perceived. He wondered though why she never became part of at least the top 10 in the academy. Ino had always taken number one with him as number two. Sasuke bit his lower lip darkly; come to think of it, all the members of Team Takagi had made their way through the finals.

That realization alone infuriated him to no end.

Naruto jumped towards him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "What took you so long, you stupid idiot!?"

Sasuke coldly brushed off Naruto's hand before walking away as Izumi stared worriedly at the male Uchiha. She remembered seeing the vampire bite on his neck and his wounds. Normally, kids their age wouldn't have survived that kind of beating and curse _Jutsu_. His _chakra_ had been sapped out but now he was walking around as if nothing had happened. She tousled her long red hair in deep thought, watching Sasuke stand amongst the others. The stadium revealed a lot of sand and trees standing at each corner of the stadium. Stones and barely any water existed in the landscape while the walls towered way above them for the spectators to watch. Izumi smiled to herself, looking at the wide open space. She definitely had the advantage.

"Damn, it's not fair," Taichi snorted in annoyance, glancing at the _Sunagakure ninja_. "They definitely have an advantage especially that red haired kid. He's probably just gonna bury us in a hill of sand before throwing crabs in our faces to pinch our noses!"

Manyama bit her lower lip, examining her surroundings. "Throwing Bishamonten in here is like blinding myself. I hope I don't face a _Sunagakure ninja_ otherwise - it will be the end of me."

Gray remained silent as his glare and Neji's came in contact. Ignoring the resentment, Gray glanced at the area and tried to figure out what he could use to his advantage. He glanced at the grass before narrowing his eyes carefully. Drawing moisture from the air? That was practically impossible or drawing it out from something - he had never tried. Soon, all the ninjas reported to one part of the building to stay in before their match was called. While Manyama walked towards the locker areas, she noticed a new judge emerged from the shadows before walking into the darkness herself.

_Odd, where's the other guy? _

Manyama glanced at the others who seemingly didn't mind as the wind blew past her and Izumi. "Izumi, do you feel it...?"

"Yeah," Izumi inhaled deeply, glancing out the tunnel. "Let the games begin."

As the judge took his position, he raised his arm and announced. "The first match will be…"

Suddenly, the board emerged from the wall and made a roulette of the names and surprisingly it was between:

**Hyuuga Gray (****日向グレイ****)**

**Vs.**

**Temari** **(****テマリ****)**

"Ooh, battle of the blondes eh," Taichi nudged his Hyuuga teammate jokingly as the coffee blonde Trickster lazily pushed himself off the wall. "Good luck out there."

Gray chuckled lightly while raking his fingers through his long coffee blonde hair; his emerald green eyes glimmered cockily. "Losing is the last thing I do."

As he stepped out into the light, Temari soon revealed herself with her fan ready to knock him down. He narrowed his eyes darkly as both ninjas carefully circled one another. The judge assumed the middle between the two before calling the two ninjas over. Temari snickered lightly while Gray maintained his usual Trickster face with his hands stuffed into his pocket. The winds started blowing and Gray began sniffing the air as he could feel the moisture sticking to his skin. He watched her blue green eyes stared beadily at him as a smirk curved up his lips. He could tell from her eyes that she wasn't just going to drop over or show him any pity. Her face showed determination and a lot more strength; Gray chuckled lightly - now strong willed girls really knocked him off his feet and even Mimi said he had a weird taste in women. That was a match he could live with.

"This should be good," Gray took his battle-stance while Temari pulled out her fan.

On the other hand, the dirty blonde female glanced at the _Konoha_ ninja she had been assigned to fight. She smirked at the flashing emerald green eyes along with his famous Trickster smirk. He relaxed a little and she couldn't help but stare at how lean and built his body was. Despite him being in a blue hoodie, his broad shoulders could easily be seen so could his lean muscle build. She couldn't tear her eyes off the mischievous and devious smirk plastered on his face. Heh, at least he won't be ogling at me the entire time. Temari kept her eyes deeply focused at her male opponent, watching his eyes move carefully.

"Keep it clean," the judge glanced at both of them while Temari and Gray kept their eyes on one another. "Match between Konohagakure's Hyuuga Gray versus Sunagakure's Temari. Begin!"

Without any warning, Temari swung her fan with full force as Gray jumped high into the air and dodged the slashing wind blades. Her eyes widened when he unveiled a frost blade attached to his arm as he began touching the wind slashes and turning them into ice. Leaping down on the discs, Gray pushed the frozen discs away and some crashed against into the wall, shattering into tiny shards. She leapt back to create a distance as Gray kicked off the frozen discs and darted forward for an attack. She instantly brought up her fan as she blocked his frost blade, watching the ice suddenly crawl all over it.

"Not bad for a pretty face," Temari smirked as she started pushing Gray back, feeling her fingers starting to become numb from the cold. "I've seen many of the _Konohagakure _ninjas but only a few have a certain kind of appeal. You're not from here are you?"

"Who knows? I don't know myself," Gray smirked deviously while digging his feet into the ground before throwing her back with a butterfly kick, noticing the pinkish tint marking her cheeks. "But then again, even you're not from here since desert flowers don't grow too well in a mucky rain forest like out here."

Upon hearing this, Mimi face-palmed and shook her head disdainfully at her step-brother. "GRAY, STOP FLIRTING WITH THE OPPONENT - YOU STUPID _BAKA_!"

Taichi groaned in exasperation and watched his teammate fight against Temari, slamming his head against the wall. "Oh my God, what is he doing?"

"He's being an idiot, that's what he's doing," Manyama face-palmed also, pulling out a couple of _kunai_. "That's it - I'm gonna clobber him right now!"

Gray backtracked a little while Temari lunged at him with her fan swinging out severe torrent winds. As the winds howled towards him, Gray side-stepped while unveiling two frost blades and striking down the wind blades flying from Temari's fan. The dirty blonde _kunoichi_ clucked her tongue in annoyance as she leapt back and swung another set of whirling sharp wind blades towards him only to have Gray somersault and sail through the air to avoid getting cut by the whirling wind blades.

"He's doing pretty well for someone in a dry environment," Kakashi glanced at Takagi who started glancing around, raising an eyebrow quizzically. "What is it?"

Takagi bit his lower lip anxiously, changing his attention back to the match. "Based on my earlier experience as an ANBU back in Getsugakure, it looks like we have a breach of security. How many ANBU can you see from where you're sitting?"

Kakashi glanced around, seeing some masked ninjas hiding amongst the crowd. His eyes rolled to and fro while counting the number of masked ninja sitting amongst the people. Nobody even noticed that they were there right next to them. Biting his lower lip in contempt, Kakashi redirected his attention back to Takagi who raised an eyebrow at him to make him check the other areas. The silver haired _Jounin_ noticed the whole place prowling with ANBU ninjas and the Hokage normally didn't leave his office for the sake of the Chuunin exams. In fact, Kakashi mused darkly, this was the first time he saw this happen in a Chuunin exam. He glanced at the other area where the competing ninjas stayed while taking a brief glance at Sasuke. The boy barely looked disturbed by his new vampire bite but he hoped Sasuke wouldn't rely on it.

_The boy will always seek power, no matter what happens._

Kakashi shook his head darkly at Orochimaru's words. He knew nothing about Sasuke and the way his team worked. Naruto had obviously been getting better along with Sasuke and the boy showed some sense of teamwork and cooperation the moment he had mixed with other teams such as Takagi's in which he and Mimi managed to get along a little even if Mimi tried to burn him alive. Gray managed to work well despite Sasuke being the worst at cooperation and assertiveness. He chuckled lightly at Sasuke's progress before returning to the match, noticing Temari becoming extremely red and Gray simply dodging her attacks without a problem.

"STOP, DEAR GOD," Temari twitched furiously before throwing another hurricane towards Gray as he kicked away from the blast. "STOP IT WITH YOUR PICK-UP LINES!"

Kankuro groaned at the sight of his sister blowing a fuse. "Temari, he's doing that to throw you off guard!"

Neji scoffed darkly. "That's disgusting. Doesn't he have anything better to do?"

Gray smirked lightly while somersaulting over the fan before landing right behind her and pulling out a stream of water from his water pouch and struck Temari from behind. Temari staggered forward before swinging her _tessen_ in his face to which he ducked beneath as the wind shattered part of the wall behind him before he went for a full 360 sweep kick, literally sweeping her off her feet before he caught her salsa-style. She stared in shock at the Trickster who smirked lightly.

"Tch, this is all just a game to you isn't it," Temari hissed furiously as she threw Gray over her shoulder to which he tumbled for a recovery. "Fight me seriously!"

Gray shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, recalling the water back into his pouch. "I would but I don't hit girls who wouldn't fight me with her full-power either."

Temari's eyes widened in shock and astonishment; how did he know that she was holding back on him? Gray barely showed any exhaustion and even fought with his hands in his pocket before throwing her off guard with his kicking style. They said he was a Hyuuga but she saw nothing that made him look like a Hyuuga clan ninja. His eyes didn't have the opal irises and his hair definitely did not strike him as _Konohagakure_ ninja. Her blue green eyes narrowed themselves darkly at the coffee blonde male as she finally opened her fan at the full three moons.

"You do remember what happened to the girl after this happened," Temari chuckled humourlessly, glancing seriously at the male. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Gray took his _Jyuuken _style stance, smirking cockily. "I don't like half-hearted people and besides, even flowers have to fully bloom at one point, no?"

"Tch," Temari blushed again as she swung her fan with full force, glaring angrily at the Trickster. "I'll make you wish you haven't ticked me off - _Kamaitachi no Jutsu_!" (Flesh Slicing Wind)

As the wind blades screamed towards him, Gray remained completely still before activating his _Byakuggan_ and smirking. He had never had a fight this fun before well, except Mimi but that was because she constantly burned everything and he had to put out the flames before Takagi noticed the kind of destruction they were causing in their own backyard. He narrowed his eyes carefully at the whirling wind as he remembered his training with Mimi.

_Flashback_

"_Katon: Goukkakyou no Jutsu_," Mimi exhaled a huge fireball straight towards Gray who managed to dodge it the first time but found himself completely exhausted.

Gray stared at the flaming fireball zooming towards him as he watched it singe the ground. Mimi always had a preference for burning everything into ashes but there had to be a way to fight back. The coffee blonde narrowed his eyes carefully at the revolving pattern of the flames. He opened up his _Byakuggan_ and focused deeply, noticing breakings in the _chakra_ chain. He took his _Jyuuken _stance while placing enough _chakra_ into his palm. Mimi had burned everything including rubber into nothing but ashes in a matter of seconds. He could only shudder and imagine what she could do to a human. Gray bit his lower lip anxiously; he could only gamble the chances otherwise, he would be severely burned.

"Gray, what the fuck are you doing," Mimi lunged to grab him out of the way until a huge wind reduced her fireball into nothing with Gray performing a full palm strike. "What the...?"

Gray inhaled deeply before smirking in triumph, gaining his stature. "I call it..."

_Flashback End_

"_Hakke: Hanki Sōsai (Eight Trigrams: Reverse Demon)_," Gray unleashed a spinning _chakra_ shot that nullified the spinning hurricane with a devious smirk. "You're gonna have to do better than that, Candy Cane." (SS: borrowed it from Yoruichi Shihoin from Bleach! I don't own it!)

Neji stared in astonishment; where did Gray get such a technique? He had remembered seeing the Hyuuga clan perform feats similarly but Gray barely had been exposed to the Hyuuga clan house. In fact, Gray barely even lived in the compound. None of the Jyuuken's secrets had gotten to the Branch House family let alone an outsider. He frowned darkly; Gray had been leaping leaps and bounds and nobody knew why. The elders had thrown him out the moment they found him playing tricks and doing some random mischief in the compound.

Hiashi on the other hand had different thoughts.

The Hyuuga clan house, being split into two factions, had the clan somewhat lose their sense of unity. Many cases of the Main House members abusing the Branch House members came to light and after doing some digging, Hiashi began to wonder. Why did the curse seal only affect the Branch House? He remembered how his brothers had exploded in contempt towards the Hyuuga clan's system. Hiazashi had constantly fought against the system and so did his younger brother, Hikaru. Come to think of it, Hiashi darkly narrowed his eyes. Hikaru had been the genius between the three of them but he was someone they couldn't stop from breaking the law for kicks. His _Byakuggan_ could see through not only the _chakra_ points but the flow and he often used to his advantage, anticipating the blow. While the Hyuuga elders would lash out for his mischievousness, Hiashi remembered the first mission he went on with the two brothers. Both he and his brother had been captured and Hikaru randomly slid in before beating them all shitless without batting an eyelash. But despite Hikaru's feats, their father would lash out every time he found out Hikaru had done something stupid yet again and punish him with the cursed seal. He glanced at the coffee blonde male who had butterfly-kicked over Temari's low fan sweep before he landed and started striking her _chakra_ points.

_The boy is so much like his father..._

Temari, furious and admonished, swung her fan clumsily with another flesh slicing wind. The wind blades crashed against the wall as some of the trees crashed on the ground. Leaves rustled loudly with the winds howled angrily as they launched themselves towards Gray. The Hyuuga ninja slid out of the way before dashing forward towards Temari, closing in with frost appearing on his arms. Temari narrowed her eyes and summoned a large gust before shattering the icicles. Vaulting over the shattered icicles, Gray performed a set of seals before digging his ice blades into Temari's _tessen._

"Hyouton; Tousou Ittou no Jutsu," Gray pressed on forward, making sure his ice blade dug deep into the fan.

Temari clamped her fan over his ice blades before smashing them in the _tessen_, throwing him aside. Gray tumbled onto the ground as he watched the frost crawl all over the _tessen._ Temari then charged towards him and prepared to swing her fan until Gray shattered it with one palm strike. The dirty blonde's eyes widened with horror as she saw a devious smirk curve up the coffee blonde male's face.

"Jack," Gray chuckled nonchalantly, exhaling icy air and revealing snowflake patterns at each point his frost blade had touched. "Frost."

Temari snickered, eyeing Gray darkly. "_Konohagakure's Jack Frost _- that's quite a better title than Trickster. It displays more of your personality."

Gray shrugged nonchalantly as Temari leapt back and revealed her fan; contempt and impatience flashed in her eyes. "Very well, it's time you went down - Double _Kamaitachi no Jutsu_!"

As the winds rushed towards him, Gray braved through them as his blue hoodie had been slashed into tatters while he glanced at the eye of the storm. As the winds smashed against his body, Gray pushed himself against the wind before whirling around as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Soon, _chakra_ swirled around his body and the wind blades bounced off harmlessly before both _Jutsu_ vanished into nothing much to the dirty blonde's surprise. As the winds sliced into his skin, Gray watched the wind slowly die down before using the momentum to propel him forward as his blade stabbed right through her fan, shattering into nothing but metal pieces.

"Now we're even," Gray smirked as he landed a jump spin hook kick, slamming Temari into the ground.

The dirty blonde _kunoichi_ rolled away before taking a fighting stance, watching Gray take a different stance. She watched his eyes carefully as the boy kept a very calm stance, not even shifting his weight. Temari knew that the Hyuuga clan had been known for their _Jyuuken_ style but he took on a more aggressive stance but his shots were less powerful than normal hitting shots.

"Hmph, you thought my fan was the source of my power," Temari threw a punch in his face in which he instinctively blocked. "Think again!"

Gray stepped back before forcing her into close quarter combat, blocking her punches as his fists aimed at her rib cage. She backed down for a moment but not before whirling around for a kick that he managed to duck and clip her in a scissor kick. Temari smirked in anticipation as she grabbed Gray's arms and locking him in a grapple.

"You should know what happens when people make me angry," Temari sneered darkly and with one hard grip, snapped Gray's neck.

Everyone stared in horror and shock as Gray's arms dangled limply on his side. Manyama stared in admonishment and Taichi blinked disbelievingly. Temari chuckled darkly as she slammed his body onto the ground with a ruthless smirk.

"All talk and no bite," Temari shrugged carelessly until she saw her whole body freezing. "What?"

Slowly, the effigy cracked into nothing but ice shards as Temari's body continued to freeze up. She tried to break some of the frost off with little success before staggering back against the wall with frost sealing her body against the wall.

"Tch," Temari struggled against the ice, noticing the ice didn't stop freezing her. "An effigy?"

"No kidding," Gray suddenly reappeared right in front of her, smirking lightly. "Well then again, flowers are prettier in colder weather."

Temari hissed darkly as Gray placed two of his fingers against the non-frosted parts of her body. "At this point, this is probably the only thing that will ever make me a Hyuuga."

As he took his position, Temari's eyes widened as the seal of the Hyuuga clan suddenly appeared beneath him with glowing green runes. His formerly emerald eyes suddenly changed into white with his veins becoming more prominently pronounced.

"_Hakke_," Gray narrowed his eyes darkly as his strikes flew. "_Rokujyon Sho._"

The strikes blinded Temari as his last shot created a deep impression on the wall, causing the ice to shatter. Temari then slumped to the ground, exhausted. Gray on the other hand could barely keep himself stable as Temari slowly got up and grabbed him by his hoodie. The Hyuuga male could feel the toll he took from her flesh slicing winds; he didn't expect himself to bleed that badly.

"You stupid bastard," Temari struggled to keep consciousness, tightening her grip on his torn hoodie and prepared to punch him only to have her arms dangle limply. "Asshole."

Gray chuckled lightly before completely passing out as well with now both of them on the ground, exhausted.

"Double knockout! Temari and Hyuuga Gray are unable to battle! The match is considered null and void!"

Mimi rushed out of the tunnel she was staying in only to find Baki and Takagi talking to one another as both _Jounin _picked up their respective students.

"You trained him pretty well," Baki narrowed his eyes at Takagi. "Jonouchi Ren."

Takagi chuckled dryly before picking up a battered and an unconscious Gray. "Well, he just needed a little push. Two wins to get promoted with no repetitions?"

"It seems so," Baki tonelessly sauntered off, bringing Temari to the infirmary.

Takagi then started walking towards the tunnel area to bring Gray to the infirmary. Mimi and the others ran in front of him as Takagi smiled lightly.

"He'll be fine," Takagi smiled reassuringly at the remaining members of Team Takagi. "Gray decided to take a leap of faith is all..."

_Yeah, no kidding..._

As Takagi carried Gray away, the next line of fighters appeared.

**Yamanaka Izumi (****山中イズミ****)**

**Vs.**

**Nara Shikamaru (****奈良シカマル****)**

Shikamaru lazily walked down the stairs to face the cousin of his teammate, Ino. Izumi had bright red hair instead of her cousin's pale blonde hair and he remembered how people would call her a tomato. She had a pretty round face and unlike Ino, she had been more reserved but he had heard her throw her fair share of tantrums. Manyama constantly had to calm her down when Mimi had something crazy or tried a psychotic attempt to blow up something. He shook his head; at least Chouji and Ino didn't have those tendencies. He glanced at how Taichi and Gray handled the three girls. If he thought girls were troublesome, having three of them at once would have driven him crazy.

The red haired ninja inhaled deeply, checking her list of weapons. "Alright, here I go."

Izumi sauntered carefully towards the battlefield, noticing the place nearly destroyed. She remembered the first time Manyama and she had entered the academy. Manyama and she were placed in the same morning _kunoichi_ class with Ino and Sakura. One of the classes involved _Ikebana_, shuriken throwing and some _Taijutsu_ skills which she had the upper hand in usually. Ino and she would train a lot together although ever since Ino had been moved to advanced class, she started training with Manyama. She frowned upon remembering how lazy her own friend was in her own way; Manyama often slept in class but her grades shocked the world and especially when she had been called to recite. However, one thing that easily distracted her was when they had an inter-class match. Shikamaru lazily stalked off and went looking at clouds and Manyama went along with him that day. She laughed softly at the earful Manyama had gotten the next day from her aunt and boy did the girl complain about a sore ear the next day. Shikamaru didn't seem the least bit amused. In his mind, he'd rather lay himself out on a small patch of grass and watch the clouds float by.

As Shikamaru and Izumi got ready to face each other, Kakashi looked around and saw a few ANBUs lurking around. He counted seven of them and they were at the most well-positioned place to notice anything out of the average. Takagi kept a straight face as he glanced at Izumi taking her position before checking the amount of security around them. He bit his lower lip but noticed how Hyuuga Hiashi had shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He chuckled deeply; Hiashi probably never expected someone like Gray to bother learning the secret arts of the Hyuuga clan since he spent a lot of his time fooling around.

Izumi bit her lower lip anxiously, drawing out her whip. "Nara Shikamaru - supposedly, he's the genius of the Nara clan considering he's quite the tactician according to Ino. He has Shadow Binding techniques that hold a person down unless one has the brute strength to fight back."

Ino punched the air, leaning over from her seat. "IZUMI, YOU BETTER NOT LOSE TO SHIKAMARU YOU HEAR ME!?"

Izumi bit her lower lip and cast her eyes towards the lazy male. His lax position definitely showed his unwillingness to fight but Izumi remembered how powerful his binding could be and among the Nara clan, he was one of the most ingenious as well. She bit her lower lip - it was like fighting a dark haired version of Gray who used shadow techniques to bring down people. She positioned herself to run away from his shadow the moment the match would begin.

Asuma glanced at his pupil, biting his lower lip. "Somehow, why do I think that Shikamaru...?"

Takagi sighed in uncertainty, shrugging his shoulders. "Would probably just bind her and then knock her out? That is the quickest way..."

"I forfeit the match."

Everyone was shocked and the match didn't even take a minute and Shikamaru just forfeit the match. Izumi gaped at him as Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pocket with lazy snort. The red haired Yamanaka relaxed her stance a little before sheathing her needles and _kunai_, watching Shikamaru walk away from her. Izumi blinked several times incredulously at the nonchalant Nara clan member, slapping her forehead.

"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY THROWING THE MATCH JUST LIKE THAT?! YOU'RE NOT CHAUVUNISTIC ARE YOU!?"

Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly, shivering slightly at the sight of the thorny whip located at Izumi's belt. "I'd like to call myself a ninja with ethics to keep. I don't hit women. Besides, I know how you would fight based on Ino's personality. And as overbearing as you both are, I bet you can swing that whip like my mother."

Izumi twitched furiously, ready to snake her weapon. "Believe me, it'll hurt more than it looks."

Shikamaru climbed up the stairs and Izumi sighed deeply, walking back to the stands.

"That sucked," Manyama raised an eyebrow, folding her arms and swooning. "But then again - that's what makes him so cool in the first place."

Izumi sighed hopelessly at her teammate, bending down to check Gray's wounds. "Geez, if I didn't know you any better I would have called you a fan girl of the laziest bum alive."

The moment Izumi began tending to Gray's wounds, the next match showed up:

**Uzumaki Naruto**

**Vs.**

**Hyuuga Neji**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's it for Chapter 24! PLEASE REVIEW~**


	25. Destiny Takes A New Course

**Me: I'm so lazy to type.**

**Sasuke: Hn.**

**Sakura: You're becoming Shikamaru.**

**Shikamaru: Hm?**

**Me: Am not.**

**Hinata: Who's doing the disclaimer?**

**Me: I don't know but before that, I'd like to say that…**

**Hinata: Huh?**

**Me: Never mind. Not in this story. I'll tell you next time. Now on with the story!**

**(I don't own Naruto!)**

**Chapter 25- Twist of Fate**

Neji and Naruto were going against each other. People remembered Neji's assault against the Hyuuga heiress and Naruto was determined to make him regret it. Neji scoffed lightly at Naruto's angry expression; what chance did Naruto have against his own strength? Once a failure, always a failure – he knew this ever since day one. In the Hyuuga clan, his grandfather had bitterly spat at him and called him good-for-nothing. Despite his genius, Neji knew that he wouldn't be the head of the Main House. It was Hinata despite her lack of training. But what caught the brunette off guard was that her strikes had more intent in than before and that her power and capability in combat had significantly increased. He glanced at the stands and found the Hyuuga Head and the younger sister of Hinata sitting down amongst the stands without the other members of the Hyuuga clan. He hadn't seen the coffee blonde Hyuuga either after managing to bring down Temari despite himself also collapsing due to exhaustion. He glared darkly at the other clan members, averting his eyes away.

_Hmph, what do they care?_

Neji scowled deeply once more before walking towards the field with an arrogant smirk on his face. "Why am I always paired up with the losers?"

Naruto, furious, stamped his feet on the ground and glared at the Hyuuga brunette. "What do you mean!? I'm not a failure!"

Neji folded his arms with as-a-matter-of-factly voice, sniggering at the hyperactive blonde ninja. "Think about it. You can't even control your own chakra. You stole the scroll of _Konohagakure_ just so people would get to notice you. You couldn't even perfect the simplest of techniques. Those are true signs of a failure."

Naruto balled his hands into a fist, punching the air towards Neji. "That's it, and I'll make you eat your words!"

Without any hesitation, Naruto charged towards Neji as the brunette stood there calmly and began evading his attacks. This idiot doesn't even come up with a battle plan, Neji mused with a snigger before avoiding another punch. Neji chuckled lightly as Naruto's attacks refused to connect while stepping back calmly with Naruto threw his fists wildly at him. Neji dodged them with ease as he even began parrying the attacks and brushing them away. However, one of Naruto's punches managed to connect with Neji's palm and knock them further apart as the brunette chuckled lightly.

He activated his Byakuggan an arrogant snort, tossing back his hair. "You're a fool, Naruto. You can't fight destiny. Are you actually trying to get revenge for Hinata? Heh, she couldn't even defeat me and you two are leagues beyond each other. At least she thinks without rushing in like a fool…"

With fury blazing in his eyes, the hyperactive blonde ninja lunged towards the Hyuuga male ninja once more as he started throwing more punches repeatedly. Neji chuckled as he swayed side to side without much effort despite Naruto's unpredictable flailing. Naruto's punches flew as Neji started grabbing his arm blowing up his _chakra_ points, leaving the boy's arms to lose majority of its power. Despite this and completely forgetting Lee and Kakashi's explanation of the _Byakuggan_, Naruto continued to slug him or at least land a slight hit on the Hyuuga genius. Naruto bit his lower lip in annoyance and watched Neji smirk at him while dodging all his attacks. He had never faced anyone with the _Byakuggan_ despite having a good view of Gray using it; he never could grasp the concept as to how Gray managed to figure out the enemy's attack patterns and sorts.

As the fists began flying, Sakura began to shiver and tremble violently at the sight of the one-sided match. Clearly, Neji already gained the upper hand over Naruto and the boy was either too stupid to see it or very insistent on his own method of throttling the said Hyuuga ninja. She clasped her hands together with her palms becoming increasingly sweaty while watching Naruto attempt to kick Neji again. She glanced at the other people who were also watching Neji fight Naruto and their expressions clearly spelled it out: Neji was winning. The first thing Naruto had done to end his chances was to completely lose his cool; something that Sasuke had often made up for. She glanced at her crush standing at the waiting area with Gray as they waited for the next round.

_"I hope Naruto will be okay. I mean, Neji could kill someone if he's not careful_."

On the other hand, the Hyuuga coffee blonde male had already suited up to get ready for the next match.

Gray watched intently at Neji's strikes becoming more violent and murderous while Naruto took them in like a punching bag. The coffee blonde male frowned slightly while glancing at Neji. What right did the brunette have to assault Hinata to the point of death? He remembered how he and Taichi managed to shove him back with their own prowess but it irked him to no end as to what made Neji into such a vindictive person. Gray remembered feeling the intent in Neji's attacks; it vibrated the water in the ice and he could feel the anger and rage spilling out his sides. Gray clenched his fists as he leaned against the wall, folding his arms.

Mimi looked at the Hyuuga fighting with Naruto with a snicker. "So, this guy is the Hyuuga badass. I knew there was someone like him somewhere. Although I think you got a better shot at whooping his ass, huh, Gray?"

The coffee blonde chuckled lightly with a confident smirk. "_Pupina~_."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his opponent as he started watching Neji's movements, immediately performing a seal. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" (Shadow Clone technique)

The clones appeared and began rushing towards the brown haired Hyuuga. Neji chuckled lightly as he watched Naruto's clones rampaging towards him; all of them with his determination reflecting in their eyes. What exactly made Naruto try to change his destiny? Neji chuckled darkly as he flowed more of his _chakra _into his _Byakuggan_ and felt a force building around him. His body tensed up lightly but he still could not understand why there were some people who couldn't understand how hopeless they were.

The brown haired Hyuuga chuckled lightly as he began spinning around, creating a blue dome of _chakra_. "I must say…what a pathetic attempt."

Soon, the clones slammed straight into the dome and disappeared immediately as everyone's eyes widened with astonishment. Neji, being a branch house member, should not have that kind of knowledge and if he did just invent it – that was quite a mark of his genius. The whole crowd all looked with surprise and even Hyuuga Hiashi was shocked that someone like Neji learned it. That technique only ran down the Main House members, not the Branch House members. As the attack flung back more of Naruto's clones and soon Naruto himself, Neji stopped spinning as a crater appeared beneath him from the _Hakkesho Kaiten_.

Naruto flew back and gaped in astonishment at his opponent. "I thought that only the Main House knows that technique! I mean, now two of you know the technique!"

Neji frowned darkly. "Two people know such technique – when did that ever happen?"

Changing his direction of his eyes, Neji glanced towards Gray. Impossible, Neji scowled darkly. Gray couldn't possibly have gained that knowledge during his short duration in the Hyuuga compound! He remembered the day Gray had been first introduced to the Hyuuga clan. The elders immediately rejected him; he remembered how they spat and cursed his very existence for looking nothing like a Hyuuga. He did not have the trademark Hyuuga opal irises and his forehead remained unbranded. Gray had almost snow white skin and a hypnotizing set of emerald green eyes. His hair looked like nothing they have ever seen before but what made it more horrifying to the clan is that Gray had mastered the _Jyuuken _in a most unorthodox way. He had done everything based on observation. Combining it with circular and quick _Kenpo-like_ movements, Gray had combined his attacks with his second blood line and activated his _Byakuggan _and even mastered the _Hakke Rokujyon Sho_. He stood next to Takagi that day and the Hyuuga refused to take him in all except Hinata's mother. The Hyuuga's reluctantly decided to see what he was made of and well, now Neji began to wonder if they regretted it.

_Flashback_

"YOU SAY THIS CHILD IS A DESCENDANT OF THE HYUUGA!? IMPOSSIBLE!"

Neji and Hinata blinked several times as they both exchanged glances before running outside the door. They found their grandfather roaring at some members of the ninja council and a _Jounin_ as the other Hyuuga elders and members of the Hyuuga clan began to gather around. The brunette nodded at Hinata as she desperately tried to look over their shoulders but he decided to follow her lead in crawling through the gaps past the grown-ups. With a determined smile on their faces, the two Hyuuga children began sneaking past the grown-ups until finally they managed to get a front row seat. Neji blinked several times; they were definitely right! He looked nothing like a Hyuuga clan!

"He's so skinny," Hinata timidly noted as she looked at the boy's dull emerald green eyes.

"You don't say," Neji managed to rip those words from his throat but he still couldn't believe someone could be that white. He had seen some of the ANBU with white skin but not cream white!

Neji looked at the boy head to toe, watching the boy's every movement. Unlike the other children he had seen, the boy had a lanky frame and porcelain white skin. His emerald green eyes and his coffee blonde hair definitely made him stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to that of the Hyuuga clan which had opal-colored irises. The way his eyes looked made him more lifeless than he already looked. His skin was decorated with scars, bruises and his arms looked thinner than Hinata's.

"What makes you think he is a Hyuuga? The blood tests could be rigged," Neji heard his grandfather roar again, causing him to wince. Thankfully, he had not stood too near to the old man otherwise he was definitely sure his eardrums would have split.

"Hyuuga-_sama_, we did not rig the tests, I assure you – we didn't even need to give him a blood test. He just did it…"

"Really, prove it to us then," the Hyuuga head glared angrily as the _Jounin_ stepped aside to let the boy pass.

Neji watched the _Jounin_ whisper something to the boy with a comforting smile as the boy emotionlessly walked forward. The brunette watched in awe as the boy stoically took his stance and began performing a full _Jyuuken _exhibition. Seven year old Neji felt his blood run cold as his body shivered fearfully, looking into the cold eyes of the coffee blonde boy. The boy had easily and gracefully executed the palm strikes before changing his punching style into a more nerve-like strike with his index finger's knuckle. He soon altered his punches with a combination of kicks as a butterfly kick reinforced with _chakra_ sliced through the air before finishing off with a bicycle kick, twisting his body in mid-air and landing on the ground with an inaudible squat. His eyes seemed to hold no soul in them as he continued performing his exhibition. The Hyuuga clan could only stare in shock as the Hyuuga seal appeared beneath him and his emerald eyes suddenly changed into those of the _Byakuggan_.

"_Hakke Rokujyon Sho_."

_Flashback End_

Neji clenched his hands into a fist as he remembered how Gray had made his way into the clan. The elders spurned him in every way possible yet he couldn't understand why his aunt treasured him deeply. His uncle did not even bother branding him with the cursed seal of the Hyuuga clan and gave Gray a room next to Hinata. He scowled darkly as he glanced at Naruto. Why? What did these people have that made them so special? Why was he always on the bottom end? Those questions continued to bug him.

"You know, Hinata does have a point!"

Neji narrowed his eyes at the hyperactive blonde male, watching Naruto stand tall again.

"I may not be the best but I'm going to try hard," Naruto grinned his trademark determined grin, punching the air towards Neji. "There's no such thing as destiny writes everything in stone! You're only doing that to yourself but that's not true!"

Neji snorted in annoyance at Naruto, glaring holes into his batch-mate's head. "It's nice hearing you rant. You better say something nice for this arena because, this place will be your burial site."

Without any warning, he charged at Naruto and began hitting him in every way possible. His hands flew fast as he watched Naruto attempt to block him clumsily. He had increased his speed just for this event in hopes of knocking down Uchiha Sasuke. No, on proving how great a genius he was instead of being just from the Branch House family! His father had constantly fought for people to recognize his genius and now – he was going to continue that fight no matter what. He refused to let the Hyuuga clan just toss him aside as if he were just some useless piece of junk!

Meanwhile, Taichi decided to take a short walk to the infirmary to get some good painkillers. He knew he was gonna need some of those for the hits he may earn today. Gray on the other hand looked like he had been completely cut to pieces. He shuddered slightly at the thought of facing the _Sunagakure ninjas_; Temari nearly had turned Gray into ice cubes if not for his quick thinking. He knew between all of them – Gray was the most cunning but his physicals left so much to be desired. Sure he had the range but he couldn't even lift weights that was 20 percent his weight. He had good leg power that was for sure but Taichi chuckled the last time he asked Gray to help him carry a TV into his bedroom for him to fix; it probably squashed his toes twice and would have fractured them if not for Taichi's Dragon _bijuu_.

_Master, I do believe you're going to do very well against the Sand Ninjas. Although one is carrying another spirit, he does not have the desire to make a connection with it._

**Who'd want to with a psychotic spirit, Seiryuu?**

_Point taken, master. However, that is what will help you win. I owe you my life, Taichi-sama. Use it in any way you wish._

**Seiryuu, I was never your master. We're friends remember? Chill out…**

_But I…_

**No buts!**

Taichi grinned lopsidedly to himself as he moved towards the infirmary only to find Hinata sitting there on the bed with bandages around her body. His eyes narrowed upon remembering the match between Hinata and Neji. How could he just assault her like that? He clenched his hands tightly into fists, feeling his nails suddenly get longer and cut through his palm. His knuckles paled in anger and fury while his blood boiled. If only he could rig the matches, he would have fought Neji straight out and beat the living crap out of him lickety split. He just hoped that he still had a chance since Takagi said something of winning best two out of three fights.

"Taichi-_kun_, are you okay?"

The navy haired ninja suddenly swiveled his head up to look at the indigo haired heiress while hiding his hands behind his back while retracting his claws, grinning sheepishly. "I'm fine, Hinata. Don't worry about me. You're the one who took one hell of a beating. Your cousin's such an asshole; I betcha an arm and a leg that if Gray fights him – Neji's gonna be more than just beaten up."

Hinata blinked several times; Neji was never the way he was now before. He used to be happy and smiling all the time; they would go play in the fields before her third birthday. From there, things started getting worse and downhill as she heard her father and uncle yelling at her grandfather. Neji had also been constantly punished whenever he had failed to perform as ordered. She had no desire to be part of politics but if it meant abolishing the horrible tradition of branding the Branch Family members with cursed seals, so be it. She had seen the effect the cursed seal had done to the other members of the clan. Some of the children who had slightly misbehaved and despite pleading for forgiveness still got themselves inflicted with pain from the cursed seal along with physical beating. She had always been the little princess of the clan and nobody had told her about the abuse of her other clan members. The only one who barely got beaten was Gray and her father never did explain why he never laid a finger on him. Was it because he feared that the boy could control water on whim and anger? That she didn't know but Gray had always been protective of the two girls. She glanced again at Taichi and wondered; what did Taichi know about her cousin?

"OW!"

She looked up and Taichi's lip was bleeding. It seemed like his fangs grew back and pierced his lip. Dark red liquid oozed out as he snorted. "Damn, that sucks."

What shocked Hinata more was that, when he wiped his lip and when his hand moved away from his lip - the wound was gone. Hinata was left with a quizzical look all over her face; how did he do all of that in three seconds flat? That kind of healing was inhumanly possible. She blinked several times as the navy blue haired boy wiped the blood off his lip on arm, revealing a light red streak. Hinata swallowed hard and looked at him before he averted his eyes away from her.

Taichi looked at her at the same time with a sad smile. "Sorry about that. As much as I am proud to be Seiryuu's holder, not many people see it that way."

"Seiryuu," Hinata stared at him completely puzzled; where had she heard that name?

Taichi picked up a paring knife and began skinning an apple, chuckling with a bittersweet tone. "Seiryuu is one of the Celestial Beasts and because he had nearly been destroyed – they needed someone to contain him. Apparently, the Yamato clan had been in big debt and they sold me off as a weapon to _Konohagakure_. It was a win-win situation; I barely could go out without getting sick. But even with this, people are afraid that one day – it's going to eat me alive…"

The indigo haired heiress stared in astonishment as she held Taichi's hands with a soft smile. "I think you're so strong and..."

He looked at her seeing if she will continue but somehow, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Her face was somewhat pinkish red as he checked her temperature. "Are you okay?"

She nodded weakly and fell back on her bed with a soft _thud_.

He sweat-dropped at the sight of the Hyuuga _kunoichi, _swallowing hard anxiously. "Aww man, she didn't just do that! Her dad's going to kill me."

He tried shaking her but no avail, she wouldn't even budge and her temperature was rising. Taichi swallowed hard and started looking around desperately. Why did the Hyuuga heiress have to faint in front of him right there and then? Good thing they were in the infirmary.

However, in the ring – things seemed a lot worse.

Neji had completely thrown the tide of the match into his favor as Naruto staggered back from Neji's hits. The brunette refused to back down as he kicked him towards the wall, slamming him hard and watching the little pieces of debris fall on the ground. As Naruto slammed against the wall, the hyperactive blonde ninja could feel blood trickling down his forehead and his bones screaming in agony. His body literally wanted to pass out but his brain kept him moving. Naruto staggered but he still managed to stand straight. There was no way in hell that he was going to let a freak like Neji win a match with that kind of attitude! Naruto gnashed his teeth together with a determined look in his eyes; he was going to prove him wrong!

Naruto chuckled with a lopsided grin. "You think you can beat me with that kind of attitude? You've gotta be kidding."

Neji glared darkly before lunging forward with a venomous snarl. "You'll regret that."

Everyone watched in horror as he charged towards Naruto hitting different parts of his body. His punches flew quickly as Naruto managed to block a few of them and landed one kick on Neji who easily repaid him with another set of strikes. However, the moment Neji slammed his _chakra_ reinforced palm into Naruto's stomach – the hyperactive blonde suddenly lost his cheerful demeanor. Neji felt nails dig into his skin as Naruto started glowing red. Red chakra soon formed a tail and a set of claws with the blonde's bright blue eyes now becoming a demonic red. Red chakra enveloped Naruto and Neji found himself facing a demonic Kyuubi Naruto, hissing and howling bloody murder. Neji staggered back as the malicious intent caused his body to completely freeze in fear. The brunette Hyuuga could feel sweat trickling down his temple as his throat tightened considerably. His hands suddenly became clammy as more _chakra_ spilled out and nearly knocked him over.

Neji stared in horror, staggering back. "What in Amaterasu's name…"

Naruto, growling like a fox, unleashed an unholy barrage of punches and kicks at the Hyuuga brunette. Neji managed to avoid some of it but not before taking heavy strikes to his rib cage and hearing a sickening crack from Naruto's punches. Resisting the urge to cough out blood, Neji immediately pushed himself away to create some distance until Kyuubi Naruto flung more _shuriken _and _kunai_ towards Neji. Despite his _Hakkesho Kaiten _blocking the projectiles, Naruto somehow managed to rip through the _chakra_ dome and swept Neji off his feet but not before the boy had tried flinging him away. Recovering his momentum, Naruto soon began running on walls with no _chakra_ control but with sheer speed and left a blaze on the wall.

Neji stumbled back as he felt Naruto's blows slam against his body. "Damn! That insane…!"

Soon, Naruto rushed in a berserker fashion with fist drawn back to punch his lights out. Seeing his crazed state of mind, the Hyuuga gambled everything into one shot and finally landed a right hook at Naruto's jaw and sent the hyperactive blonde sprawling on the ground. Neji, breathing heavily, stood up straight as he found Naruto lying on the ground unconscious with his red _chakra_ fading away. When Neji saw this, he knew this was finally over. If the match continued for any longer, Neji found himself wondering – did Naruto, a failure really have the power to change his destiny?

He raked his fingers through his hair before turning his back away from the fallen ninja. "Finally. This guy was pissing me off."

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble as Naruto came up and gave Neji a good uppercut and really smacked his jaw. Neji staggered back and finally fell to the ground as his _Byakuggan_ faded. People stared in astonishment and amazement at the boy who the whole village had despised. He had managed to make his way through the exam and beat his opponents – ninjas from esteemed clans to boot! His determination shone in his eyes as he walked towards a conscious but exhausted Neji.

Naruto nudged Neji with his sandal. "Destiny doesn't make your life. You do."

Neji scowled darkly at the hyperactive blonde ninja. "Oh yeah. Then, tell me, how many birds are there? I tell you there are only seven."

Naruto chuckled with a lopsided goofy grin. "There are eight."

"What makes you so sure?"

Naruto folded his arms triumphantly. "Take a look behind you."

Neji glanced at the sky and began counting again as he found the eighth bird now flying above him. His eyes widened; how did his _Byakuggan_ manage to miss that? He inhaled deeply as the sun beamed down at him and his body screamed at him to pass out. Although the _Byakuggan_ could see many things, there were just some things that could not be achieved by just it alone. He always believed that his _Byakuggan_ was perfect but after seeing the eighth bird – he could feel his whole foundation crashing to the ground. Neji was shocked and he could only drop in exhaustion. He realized that he had bound himself in a cage and it was about time, he let it go. Hinata had been right the whole time and Naruto won the match.

Izumi slapped her own forehead with disbelief. "I don't believe it! Naruto won!"

Manyama clapped while silently nodding. "Well done, Naruto. I'm glad you taught Taichi the same thing."

Naruto smiled and he gave the good look pose, grinning in triumph. "I won, dattebayo!" (I won! Believe it!)

Kakashi smiled and began to applaud, nodding at the progress Naruto had achieved in such a short period of time. "I'm glad you're growing up, Naruto."

The blonde ninja prepared to head back and Neji found himself escorted back to the infirmary. His body throbbed in agony as he remembered the last blow to his jaw. Two out of three fights before finally choosing who ends up _Chuunin_. He just needed to win the last two. His hands clenched into a fist as he lay on the bed and had people bandaging up his wounds. He glanced at his hand before looking straight at the cold white-lit ceiling. Groaning, Neji sat up from the bed recovering from his wounds. He chuckled lightly as he remembered Naruto's face ridden with pure determination before looking at the window where he saw the eight birds flying around. A small smile appeared on his face until he heard a knock on the door.

He stared beadily at the door, inhaling deeply. "Come in."

Much to his surprise and chagrin, it was the leader of the Hyuuga clan, Hyuuga Hiashi.

Hiashi never had planned to tell Neji about what really happened due to his brother's wish.

The cursed seal tradition had been something that both Hiazashi and Hikaru had wanted to abolish. Him however stuck to tradition and made them always tease him as Daddy's Favourite. No matter what, Hiashi had followed the tradition down to the letter but because of that, the Hyuuga clan had suffered many internal conflicts and cases of abuse. Hikaru had even stormed out and never returned on one mission but sent back a letter that it had been successful. He had retreated far away and it took Inuzuka ninjas, Hyuuga ninjas and the Aburame clan members to track him all the way into the Wave Country. Of course he had asked this out of a personal favor rather than having it run through the _Hokage_. That may as well could have caused his death. He remembered the soulless eyes of his nephew and Neji's hateful glare as the boy grew. Both boys lived in the Branch House but Hiashi had respected Hikaru's wishes and left Gray unbranded. Besides, by then – Hinata's birthday had been long past and Hanabi was only a year old. Gray was brought to the clan when Hinata had turned 6 years old and since the Hyuuga clan prepared to throw him out, he didn't bother either. He had the appearance more of his mother and expected his _Byakuggan_ to be barely present until he had shown it. Neji on the other hand had been badgered by his father constantly for overstepping his bounds to learn the clan's techniques. Both boys had suffered under the cruelty of tradition – it was time for change.

Neji breathed out sharply. "What do you want?"

Hiashi felt his body shudder at the tone of hatred in Neji's voice. He understood the boy's anger – not many of the Main House members were as kind as Hinata or her mother. He remembered how she had constantly defended the younger boy especially when Hiazashi's wife had passed away giving birth to Neji. Hiazashi regardless loved the boy and asked Hiashi to watch over him; something he had done a poor job in. Being the head of the clan meant disregarding his own personal feelings but somehow – it didn't seem right. Would Neji and Gray have turned out differently if he had taken Hikaru's choice? Hikaru had a better knack at handling politics than him; the only problem was his birth made him Branch House member. Hiashi slowly handed the letter to Neji as the boy stared at the piece of paper suspiciously.

The Hyuuga genius wondered darkly before snatching it and ripping it open, not knowing what lay inside was the truth about his father.

Hiazashi had made his choice that day when Hinata had been kidnapped by _Kumogakure _ninjas. Hiashi had rounded up the best Hyuuga ninjas and slaughtered her kidnappers, forgetting the alliance that Hikaru had objected to but he and his father agreed to. Because of the contract, _Kumogakure_ demanded the body of Hyuuga Hiashi as compensation – dead or alive.

_Flashback_

"YOU STUPID FOOL, HOW DARE YOU DISGRACE THE CLAN'S NAME BY BREAKING THE CONTRACT!"

Hiashi winced at his father's tongue lashing as he was also backhanded. As he fell to the floor crumpled, Hiashi knew the consequence due to his fatherly instincts. Hinata had been kidnapped in the night while she was settling in her new room. He averted his eyes from his father and his two younger brothers, realizing that they were both right. _Kumogakure_ had purely focused on gaining the secrets of the _Byakuggan_ and used the alliance as a stepping stone. How could he had not seen that? Hikaru had warned him and so did Hiazashi but no, he just decided to jump into the contract for the sake of gaining more power and protection for the Hyuuga clan. Hiazashi scrambled to help his older brother while Hikaru had stood in front of his father with a dark glare in his eyes.

"Father, smacking people around is not going to fix anything," Hikaru clenched his hands into fists as he refused to move away, devilishly chuckling. "The point is – we agreed to the contract and now, we have to work around it. Now, they demanded _aniki_'s body dead or alive right? These guys are not holding to their agreement; they used the alliance as a way to snatch the secrets of the _Byakuggan_. Well, I can go. I almost look like Hiashi except for my messy hair but I can easily fix that. A little bit of hair gel and a little bit of more of vain combing should do the trick. After that, I can function as a spy and load up information for the clan so we can find a way to make them break their end of the contract. I just need time to gather evidence that points to _Kumogakure_'s involvement and planning of Hinata-_chan_'s kidnapping."

Hiashi wanted to gape at his younger brother; hell no was he letting his youngest brother walk into that mess. Last time he did although the results were favorable to the clan, Hikaru had caused the whole foundation of a single clan to crash and easily rendered them harmless without even killing anybody. The clan had surrendered to the Hyuuga clan without resistance and here was their grandfather thinking they needed to issue an ultimatum. How he did that was extremely beyond him as his brother gave him his usual trickster smile.

"Don't you dare doubt my awesomeness, Hiashi. I can easily replicate you without even doing squat. I always see Hiazashi anyway so, copying won't make me break a sweat," Hikaru raked his fingers through his messy hair, grinning with a trickster smile. "Besides, since I'm doing nothing – I'm a little excited for an adventure."

Their father however prepared to backhand Hikaru. "You stupid boy, do you really think it's just that?"

"Of course not."

They all turned to Hiazashi as he stood up while helping his older brother stand up. "Although Hikaru's plan sounds pretty good, Hiashi and I would rather not have our younger brother walk in there. The chances are slim so to make it easier…"

Hikaru and Hiashi's eyes widened in horror as Hiazashi gestured to himself.

"I will go in my brother's place. The cursed seal should wipe out the traces of the _Byakuggan_. Well, time to make that tradition useful."

_Flashback End_

Much to Hiashi's displeasure, he activated the curse seal on his brother. Neji happened to show up at the wrong time and just saw Hiazashi lying crumpled on the ground as his grandfather stood around coldly despite the agonizing pain. Hiazashi had shoved his hands in his mouth to prevent himself from howling in agony as his brain felt like his neurons were being melted out. Nobody then had bothered to explain it to him why that had happened and made him arrogant, bitter and conditioned him to believe that he was going to end up like that no matter what and soon made it in the general context. Neji stared in astonishment as he read the last line in the letter:

_Neji, please do not take it against them. I chose to die in my brother's place. It is an honor to be of some use to the Hyuuga clan. I just hope that one day – people would at least recognize your skill. I don't mean for you to become Head of the Hyuuga clan but for you to become something more than just a substitute. Be smart; do not fall into traps like that. Your mother and I will watch over you, always. Remember, nothing is set in stone. Hikaru and I have constantly fought against destiny and look where we are. Happy and honorable – we do not attach ourselves to destiny. You should not as well._

_-Hiazashi_

Neji could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at the ground and shuddered, bitterly smiling. He soon found himself crying at the sight of the letter until Hiashi got down on his knees.

"Neji, please forgive me. If you want everything in detail, I shall tell you everything. We have all the time."

Neji smiled lightly as he got off the bed and crouched down to his uncle's height. He felt his heart lift up from the grudges although a pang of guilt smacked him when he remembered how he had lashed out at Hinata. She did not deserve any of it and Gray had every right to scald him with hot water for that. They were right; it was time for him to fix things for himself. He placed his hand on his uncle's shoulder with a forgiving gaze. Thus, the grudge between the Main House and the Branch House ended.

Outside however, the next match came out:

**Uchiha Sasuke**

**Vs.**

**Sabaku no Gaara**

Sasuke winced at the pain, ebbing at his neck. He rubbed it slightly as he soon began scratching like anything, snorting in annoyance. What kind of crap did Kakashi just latch onto his shoulder? Shrugging it off and loosening up, Sasuke slowly walked into the ring with Gaara now standing in front of him with his arms crossed. Both their eyes stared down at each other as the whole stadium became silent. People watched in anticipation and the male Uchiha couldn't wait to land a hit on this guy.

As the match began, Sasuke flung _kunai_ straight at Gaara as sand shot up to completely defend Gaara from taking a hit. Despite the sand, Sasuke activated his _Sharingan_ and started tapping into his memories of other techniques. Although the itching in his neck got even worse, the Uchiha male brushed it aside as he kicked Gaara but the sand had defended the red head once again. He was certainly most annoyed since whatever he did, seemed rather useless. Then, from afar, they heard a loud boom and a huge snake started appearing.

Gray suddenly looked out the tunnel as a huge cloud of smoke blocked his view. "What the hell?"

Takagi bit his lower lip as he watched the ANBUleave their posts, glancing at his two students. "Mimi, Gray! Use Byakuggan and Sharingan!"

"Byakuggan!"

"Mangenkyou Sharingan!"

Their sight extended and they saw a match at the roofs. Snakes and monkeys lunged at each other as a violet barrier suddenly rose straight up into the air. Mimi shivered slightly as the pressure slammed straight into her body as her _Sharingan_ started noticing several seal patterns on the barrier. She bit her lower lip while focusing deeper at the _jutsu_, getting a small sight.

Mimi shook her head darkly. "Malicious intent…I can feel it. I can't get a good view though."

Gray narrowed his eyes. "Looks like we know why the _Hokage _didn't show up for the other matches."

Takagi glanced at the two kids, seeing that he could barely get a good view. "Do you know who?"

Gray remained silent as his teeth gnashed together and his hand clenched into a fist. Mimi hissed venomously as they deactivated their powers and glanced at Takagi, averting their eyes. The _Jounin_ stared quizzically as he noticed Gray lift up his shirt and reveal more than just his injuries from Temari. He had a deep stab wound that had started making its recovery and Mimi revealed snake-like bruises around her body. That enough told Takagi who the culprit was.

Takagi clenched his hand into a fist. "Orochimaru – when did he get here? Come on, let's evacuate everyone!"

They nodded and led out every bystander towards the outside. Ninjas started evacuating the other people as stones and debris began falling. Dust flew in the air as buildings soon began falling as well. Takagi noticed the look on Kakashi and they had the same idea. They split up, hoping they can find enough reinforcements.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 25! Please review!**


	26. Ambush of Konohagakure

**Me: Wow, this is a late update…anyway, I decided to update anyway.**

**Sasuke: Took you long enough.**

**Naruto: Yay!**

**Sakura: A snake is attacking Konoha?**

**Me: Apparently so…**

**Hinata: T-th-that's s-scary.**

**Me: Never mind. By the way, I don't own Naruto!**

Chapter 26 – Ambush in Konohagakure

_Sandaime_ stared in horror as a gargantuan snake emerged from the middle of nowhere and destroyed countless houses and buildings. With a swing of its tail, another tower fell down before hissing in delight. He couldn't understand; how did Orochimaru manage to sneak his way in? Did that mean he also had gone after the _Genin_? He frowned darkly before looking at the calendar on one side, checking the dates. As he skimmed through the years, realization hit him hard. With Orochimaru's desire to master all the _Jutsu_ and that he had been jumping from one body to another, he needed someone who could copy it instantly. His eyes immediately fell upon the symbol of the Uchiha, remembering the existence of the three remaining Uchiha: Itachi, Sasuke and Mimi.

He had not seen Itachi in ages. The boy had vanished after the death of the whole Uchiha clan and many other things had occurred when he had functioned as an ANBU. Itachi however he knew in his younger years was a very brilliant mind for someone who was a teenager. Itachi had volunteered himself for many of the more dangerous missions and had placed the village's safety beyond everything else but there was one thing that he cared for more than anything in the world: his younger brother, Sasuke. Itachi had devoted himself to pay attention to his younger brother when his father did not.

Sasuke however was almost the complete anti-thesis of Itachi.

The boy had become obsessed with power – dare he say it, Sandaime found himself looking at a younger Orochimaru whenever he looked at Sasuke. Before the whole massacre, Sasuke had a more cheerful demeanour. He would smile, play around and sometimes pull tricks on people whenever the time permitted him to do so. By then, girls had already found him cute and were already lobbying for the poor boy who then developed a fear for fan girls. Sometimes, even the older women found him so adorable and made him a very shy boy around many people. However, Sasuke had been constantly been put down by his father because he vied for the attention that Itachi received. For receiving _Sharingan_ at an early age, Itachi had people lobbying for him left and right while Sasuke was simply pushed aside to the corner. From then on, Sasuke worked hard to get things done and tried his best for his father's attention. However, that all changed on that fateful night of the Uchiha genocide. The death had been the most traumatic for him – he simply went to school only to return home later and see a cold and bloodied home with no one left to cry to.

Mimi however, he could not tell whether or not it was fortune or misfortune.

While Sasuke had been left in his care, Mimi had been thrown into an asylum due to the tantrums she threw whenever someone had dared to touch her or mention anything related to the Uchiha. She had an odd fixation for fire which led to her extreme mastery of fire techniques and destruction or anything that associated itself with fear and madness. Her eyes flickered with hysteria and she would throw tantrums whenever her traumas were triggered. The doctors had been too terrified of her to do anything and so, they had left her alone in the care of Shimura Danzo who seemingly had a lot of information regarding the Uchiha. Nobody then knew what happened to her except she had been found alongside Hyuuga Gray in a dark room at the edge of the facility, scared of letting go of the coffee blonde boy and very defensive when the boy would be taken away from her. The Hokage had demanded Danzo for an explanation but the man had also disappeared and hid amongst the ANBU. Although he had never relinquished his claim of the little girl, he didn't seem to care when Takagi had offered to take the female Uchiha into his care.

Orochimaru smiled evilly at his former master, folding his arms as he stood behind Sandaime. "Is this the best you can do? I expected better."

Sandaime chuckled darkly as he unveiled his combat armour, darkly glaring. "Oh really - I was going to say the same."

Without a word, Sandaime and Orochimaru soon exchanged blows with the Hokage's fist flying straight into Orochimaru's face. The serpentine ninja easily dodged it as he slithered past his former _sensei _before attempting to land a kick on the old man. As the old man managed to sprint away and create distance, Orochimaru drew out his sword and clashed against Sandaime who countered with the staff. Sparks ignited between the two weapons as Orochimaru swung his _katana_ wildly and knocked back the Hokage, forcing him to start performing several seals.

"_Kuchiyose_," Sandaime planted his palm onto the ground, glaring holes at Orochimaru. "_Enkoo: Enma_." (Summoning Technique: Monkey King Enma)

A huge monkey appeared from the smoke as it launched itself at Orochimaru, howling in fury. Orochimaru, managing to dodge the attack, summoned a second sword and prepared to decapitate his former master only to have the blade clash against the transformed monkey staff. Whirling the adamantine staff, Sandaime blocked Orochimaru's blade again as he heard a slight grunt from his transformed staff.

_That thing can slice through adamantine, Sarutobi!_

Sandaime clucked his tongue in annoyance as he dodged another attack from the shimmering blade with Orochimaru maintaining his malicious smile. The old man could feel the joints in his body crack as he continued to circle near Orochimaru while the serpentine _Sannin_ kept his guard with two _katanas_ in each hand. He couldn't believe that Orochimaru had taken a turn for the worst, biting his lower lip in disbelief. The boy showed great promise when he had functioned under him along with Tsunade and Jiraiya. If anything, Jiraiya was the one who constantly fooled around and got himself in trouble in which Orochimaru would go after him and save him from whatever mischief the perverted male had gotten himself into. He planted his feet to the ground and watched Orochimaru more carefully as the _Sannin _chuckled lightly.

"You shouldn't be so tense, _sensei_," Orochimaru slowly smiled his usual serpentine manner with mock concern, letting his reptilian eyes glimmer gold. "You might work yourself into a heart attack."

Sandaime tightened his grip on his adamantine staff, refusing to grace Orochimaru with a response. When Orochimaru had abandoned the village, he had been assigned to take him down before things became ugly. The man had lost his parents at a very young age and upon seeing the white snake devouring something right in front of his parents' grave, something in the boy just snapped. His eyes seemingly lost that joy and lustre for learning and transformed into lust for power. He remembered the horror Orochimaru had gone through after seeing his parents killed – being left nothing but a head. The rebels were brutal; they sliced their fingers off per segment and then dunked them in boiling oil repeatedly with their open wounds. Konohagakure had been invaded by a rebel group and he had been tasked to stop it. Orochimaru may have had the skills, knowledge and prowess to become a genius that was only once in a generation but after seeing his parents die and their graves with a white snake – he had made it his sole purpose to become more powerful each passing day.

_Perhaps, it is to never lose something precious to him ever again... But he had slowly lost sight of that reason and had become obsessed solely with power._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Meanwhile, more snakes poured into the village with all the ninja teams scrambling around to prevent any more destruction. Screams of the citizens and the children echoed throughout the city as the _Sunagakure_ ninjas started making their get away. They hadn't expected the huge snake blasting and barging through _Konohagakure_; all they knew was infiltration and to destroy all the _Genin_ that were involved in the _Chuunin_ exam. But never did they expect their own father to be lying dead in a pool of his own blood in his own office! The dirty blonde _kunoichi_ shivered and then remembered the appearance of the _Kazekage_ in the _Chuunin_ Exams. So if that man was not their father, who was it? However, her thoughts were cut short as Gaara howled in agony with markings starting to appear on his face. He nearly collapsed onto the ground if not for his older sister propping him up.

Temari clucked her tongue in annoyance, looking around for an exit. "Tch, that thing just had to eat away at Gaara! We have to go, Kankuro."

Her middle brother gawked in admonishment at the older sibling, waving his hands frantically. "Are you kidding? We're actually leaving with Gaara!? He's a monster."

Temari grabbed him by the ear with a glare that immediately silenced the middle sibling. "No time to be a brat, Kankuro. Gaara, come on."

Gaara, despite struggling with _Shukaku_ for dominion, obediently staggered after his sister as she helped him move a little faster. Takagi Unknown to them, Takagi had already spotted their escape despite the mayhem going on and immediately whistled out for his team. A few moments later, five people appeared in front of Takagi as the _Jounin_ looked at how far Gaara had managed to cover. He didn't expect another _jinchuuriki_ to be present in the village but now that Gaara was about to go berserk, he immediately rallied up the rest of the _Jounin_ to make way for Gaara to leave in case he submitted.

Glancing over his shoulder, Takagi pointed to the gates. "Taichi, Gray, you two go after the Sand siblings. You girls come with me to round up as many ninjas as we can."

Mimi pouted impishly, folding her arms like a child. "Why do girls have to be the one to call for support?"

The red haired Yamanaka _kunoichi _rolled her eyes sarcastically, pinching the female Uchiha by the ear and dragged her along. "Stop complaining and let's go."

Manyama, Izumi and Mimi sprinted off to follow Takagi while the other two go after Gaara and his two siblings. However, Gaara found himself in a deadlock between him and his _bijuu_. _Shukaku_ literally began eating through the seal as the red head found himself standing by the very gates that _Shukaku_ had been caged behind. The _tanuki_ slammed its tail against the gates as Gaara struggled to keep them shut. _Shukaku _growled and howled in frustration as it slammed its limbs against the gate harder in hopes of smashing down the very last thing protecting Gaara's sanity. The moment he let that creature out, the red head himself knew that there would be more to pay if he let the creature out. His mind started to whirl around as a caged grin appeared across his lips.

Clutching his head for a moment, Gaara soon howled with a psychotic laughter that echoed throughout the village. "Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha! I can feel it! All this rage! This hatred! It's beautiful!"

Both of the other two sand siblings fell down with a stumble as sand started to gather around Gaara's limbs. Crazed by his lust for blood, Gaara swung his sandy limbs anywhere he pleased. Buildings fell and soon, lamp posts slammed into one another and created a domino effect. Screams became louder as they stared in horror at Gaara going wild on a murderous destruction spree, smashing everything his claws or hands could get on. A maniacal grin curled up his lips as he saw the people running away in fear.

"Yes, yes," Gaara growled in pleasure as he watched things fall onto the ground with an explosive _thud_. "More destruction! Scream! Scream louder!"

Seeing the other people running in another direction, he swung his enlarged arm against a lamp post as it started teetering over dangerously and heading straight towards a familiar blonde that stood in the way.

"INO," Taichi jumped into action, immediately catching his teammate's attention.

Without thinking for seconds, Gray threw himself in the way and she was thrown out of the way of the light post. The coffee blonde found himself astonished by his own action and tried to create a shield in time but the post crashed straight against his body.

Taichi growled in annoyance as the lamp post fell, easily grabbing it with one hand and throwing it off his partner. "YOU MORON, WHAT KIND OF IDIOT RUNS IN THE WAY OF A POST!?"

Gray barely could keep his consciousness as a sharp pain shot through his ribs. He winced at the agony as Taichi slung the coffee blonde male's arm on his shoulder while Ino stood behind him. Their eyes widened as Gaara unleashed streams of sand that bore holes through the cement and created huge craters. His maniacal laughter echoed throughout the alleyway as more sand streams appeared from behind and smashed straight into the walls and floors. As the sand prepared to strike them down, Taichi immediately shoved Gray and Ino aside as his skin hardened into diamond scales. The moment the sand had struck him, he flicked them away as if they were flies. Temari and Kankuro were in awe as the two _Jinchuuriki_ fought and each was inflicting significant damage to each other. Taichi took the beatings easily without even showing a hint of pain while Gaara's eyes widened with psychoticism and flailed around relentlessly, unleashing another barrage of sand spears.

Taichi soon found himself seething beside with rage as he watched Gaara's attacks become more relentless and harmful. How could someone like that abuse so much power and enjoy it so much? The dragon clenched his hands into fists, feeling his knuckles tighten considerably. His blood boiled inside him as he found children frantically screaming for their lives and running away from the maniacal sand ninja. Soon, the children's screams of terror faded into echoes as things started slowing down. He found himself staring at the destruction and terror caused by one _Jinchuuriki_ alone. Was this the kind of power he was truly gifted with? If so, Taichi clenched his fists tighter and felt his fangs growing. He had better stop Gaara, fast!

"That's it, I'm all fired up to kick your ass," Taichi hissed draconically as he let his dragon _chakra_ flood through his body, launching himself towards Gaara and letting out a furious battle-cry.

His eyes became beady green and Taichi wasted no time in charging towards the berserk _jinchuuriki_. A huge red aura engulfed Taichi as his skin started hardening up to make way for the diamond hard scales lurking beneath his human form. His stomach bubbled and growled as he could feel his body morphing into something more terrifying. He slammed Gaara towards the wall and his nails grew in length and with some superhuman strength, picked off Gaara from the ground and slammed him again towards a nearby wall. Both siblings stared in shock as Taichi's blows exploded against Gaara's sand armour and sand limbs as they instantly began to regenerate. With a flash of green, Taichi whirled around and kicked Gaara hard enough to send him through three walls and tumbling out the other side. Kankuro had always believed that his brother was extremely indestructible and seeing Taichi manhandle him made him gawk at the sight. When did _Konoha_ have a weapon like him lying around? Seeing that Gaara now stood on the losing end, Kankuro unveiled his puppets until bugs started crawling towards him.

"Aw man, not cool," Kankuro jumped away as he stepped on a few of them only to have it replaced by a few more.

Temari swung her fan to blast them away only to have them crawling on her fan. "What in the world-?"

"There is no escape for you two."

Both Sand Siblings looked in shock and found Shino standing next to Ino with his hand gestured towards the bugs as more crawled out from his sleeves. Although that in itself was quite gross, Temari kicked out the thought before hurling another wind blast to repel the bugs. She then glanced to the side and found the coffee blonde male barely managing to put up a shield as a small smile curved up her lips.

"So, that handsome bastard really has some tricks up his sleeve," Temari giggled softly as she blushed madly in realization on what she said. _What was I thinking!? Him – handsome? Disgusting!_

Taichi didn't say anything as he continued to defend Ino and Gray from the Shukaku _Jinchuuriki_. He could feel the malice seeping out of Gaara's body, nearly causing his body to shudder violently with fear. The navy blue haired ninja bit his lower lip and tried to keep himself steady as more of Seiryuu's _chakra_ flowed into him. He felt his face transmogrifying into something more draconic but his mind at least remained intact. He threw a mean left hook for Gaara's jaw only to have the red head catch it and start wrestling with him.

The red haired Sand ninja growled in delight; a maniacal fire danced in his eyes. "Your attempts are futile, Seiryuu!"

"Tch," Taichi clucked his tongue in annoyance, pushing Gaara back. "No it isn't!"

Much to everyone's surprise, more sand suddenly materialised behind Gaara and hardened into sharp jagged rocks. While suspended in air, they soon began to mark their targets as Ino tried to hold Gray up while Shino held off the other two ninjas. She swallowed hard while looking at Gray whose breathing had become more ragged after taking the hit from the light post. Then again, him being physically the weakest and still battered from his fight with Temari – the crashing of the light post just made it a whole lost worst. What she didn't expect however was Gray to start forming single handed seals.

"_Hyouton; Hyou Kyuuten no Jutsu_." (Ice element; Icicles from Heaven)

Water rushed from the ground and flew straight up into the sky and from the river side before hardening into ice. The skies darkened considerably with snow suddenly descending towards them and crashing against the sand projectiles with insane speed. Glaring in annoyance, Gaara searched for the perpetrator and saw that Gray was on his feet. How did he manage to survive that attack? A creepy murderous grin curved up his lips; well, at least he could have the fun of crushing him again!

Temari chuckled lightly as she proceeded to shatter the other icicles. "So, you're one persistent little bugger. I'm surprised my winds didn't cut you down."

Gray smirked lightly, taking on his battle stance. "Well, it looks like we get to settle our fight after all."

The two dashed towards each other with an exchange of kicks and punches. Despite the aching sensation in his ribs, Gray managed a butterfly kick and knocked down Temari as she tried to swing her fan for a linear shot. He darted out of the way before zooming towards her once more and vanishing from her sight. Clucking her tongue in annoyance, she folded up her _tessen_ and blocked the _kunai_ that would have nicked her coming from behind. Gray tumbled down on the ground for a recovery and prepared to sprint. However when he tried to move, his leg seized in agony and sent him sprawling onto the ground.

Taichi looked back after kicking Gaara's face and sending him flying. "Yo dude, you okay?"

"Yeah I'm perfectly fine with a busted leg and ribs," Gray rolled his eyes sarcastically at the rhetorical question, snarling mentally at himself. _Damn, I'm still weak. I took too much damage after the Chuunin exams and that post just made it worse!_

Temari smiled sardonically, swinging her fan "Sorry, sweetie. It ends here!"

As the wind howled from her fan, Gray immediately crossed his arms to help him deal with the agony from the flesh slicing wind that was about throw him back. He could feel his _chakra _desperately trying to spread throughout his whole body but none of his limbs wanted to respond. Inwardly berating himself for his low _chakra_ supply, Gray waited for the blast until a huge blue dome surrounded him and completely neutralized the attack. As the dust faded, Gray wanted to gawk in astonishment because there stood Neji as if he hadn't been completely injured from his last fight with Naruto. However, the coffee blonde Hyuuga noticed something different in the brunette's demeanour.

Gray smirked mischievously, running his fingers through his coffee blonde hair. "You said I was a reject and better off being fed off by the scums of the earth?"

Neji snorted jokingly at his cousin, pushing his forehead. "Well, people can be indecisive sometimes and some people can be stupid."

"Oh my God," Gray feigned shock and surprise, chuckling bemusedly and placing his hand across his chest for dramatic effect. "Did the great Hyuuga Neji just call himself stupid? Wow that is the BIGGEST UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR!"

"That bad huh," Neji chuckled as he let his _Byakuggan_ make an impression on his face. "Geez, you didn't have to be such a drama queen."

"Well, says the guy who wanted to screw up the rest of the world just because he couldn't change his own fate the first time," Gray chuckled deviously, activating his _Byakuggan_. "It took you long enough."

Seeing the two Hyuuga cousins finally get along, Ino snapped her fingers in front of their faces as they directed their attention to her. "Don't leave me out of this, I wanna help out too!"

Neji narrowed his eyes as he watched the Sand Siblings get ready to bring them down. "Here they come."

The Sand ninjas prepared to lash out at them until the ground began to rumble loudly. The snakes hissed in triumphant as a purple snake smashed a huge building, effectively knocking down most of the buildings except the _Hokage's _office. Gaara soon began to struggle, trying to regain back most of the control. Temari, with her eyes widening, immediately grabbed Gaara and looked at Kankuro before having the three of them flee the scene.

Ino swallowed hard. "What the heck was that?"

Taichi narrowed his eyes as his voice retained the draconic lineage. "The snake devours all who have been destined to die..."

Ino gawked at the bluenette, shaking her head. "What?"

"Translation: the _Hokage_ looks like he's going to have his ass whooped," Taichi returned to his normal state, letting the draconic features fade away. "But that's not the point. We still have a psychotic serial mass murderer on the loose."

They all looked at each other, Ino nodded determinedly. "I'll go with you guys."

"Last time I checked, you're going to need someone who can read the flow of _chakra_ fast enough for anticipation," Gray chuckled lightly, brushing away a loose strand of coffee blonde hair. "You have your man."

Taichi looked at Shino and Neji before exchanging looks with one another, nodding in response. "We'll try fixing the village."

Neji and Shino left, leaving Ino, Gray and Taichi to go after Gaara and the others. As the three sprinted away, Taichi watched other ninjas kill each other and some wail in grief or in agony of losing a loved one. Gray could barely look at the children looking for their mothers and their fathers and Ino could only notice the distressed look on their faces, watching them push on forward in silence. She had never worked with Team Takagi before but seeing the way they were proved that they were no different from her even if their past was a mess. Before Taichi and the others left, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke caught up with them.

Naruto found Taichi standing next to him in front of the gates. "So, what are you going to do now and where's the rest of you?"

"Izumi, Manyama and Mimi are trying to round up as many forces as they can," Taichi glanced back gravely, looking at the huge dark purple barrier appearing on one roof. "Look, we have to go after _Shukaku_. Shit just got serious and I don't think I want a rampaging _Jinchuuriki _ as a part of my daily life."

Sasuke darkly narrowed his eyes at the destruction. "We know that, so, what are we waiting for?"

Without any second thoughts, Taichi pushed on ahead with the pursuit with the other members of the team following directly behind him.

Meanwhile, the third _Hokage_ found himself finally kicking himself free from the huge branches that the first _Hokage_ had put up to stop him. Although he himself had never spoken to the _Shodaime_ personally, he knew the stories of how _Konohagakure_ came to be with the Uchiha clan being the eldest clans in history. However, what he couldn't understand was what Orochimaru really wanted other than the complete mastery of the _Jutsu_. Why abandon his former body when it had enough power and capability to master the _Jutsu_? He was prodigious in his own right so what made him attack _Konohagakure_ and target the Uchiha specifically?

"It's time we end this," Orochimaru hissed darkly, glancing at the sword behind the _Hokage_. "I still need to locate the Uchiha for his _Sharingan_! Return, _Kusanagi no Tsurugi: Ku no Tachi_!" (Kusanagi's Blade: Sword of Heaven)

Upon hearing this, _Sandaime _literally froze in his tracks. It made perfect sense now! However, why would he seek Sasuke when clearly Mimi had overpowered the boy with her own capabilities? Then again, she herself was a problem child especially when she "accidentally" set the school on fire. How she managed to do that the old man had no idea but no ordinary ninja had the capability to engulf a building in a huge inferno unless they had reached _Jounin_ rank.

_I made a promise and I intend to keep it!_

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot throughout his body as he found a blade piercing through his chest. Blood spilled from his lips as he found his summon, Enma on the ground and preventing the sword from skewering _Sandaime's _heart. Seeing that Orochimaru himself was exhausted, Sandiame immediately took the chance to take him down. He never knew Orochimaru would go that far for power, going as far as to seek another body in order to learn all the _Jutsu_. His eyes widened in horror as both his predecessors rushed towards him without any qualms and prepared to knock him down. He only had one chance and he knew one way or another – he had to die. Grabbing a hold of Orochimaru's shoulders, the _Sandaime _initiated his last _Jutsu._

"_Fūinjutsu: Shiki Fūjin_," the _Hokage_ coughed as the sword continued trying to pierce through his heart. (Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal)

Orochimaru howled angrily, struggling away. "You wouldn't!"

"I will have you join me and my masters in the _Shinigami_'s stomach, Orochimaru," the third _Hokage_ snorted in triumph, seeing that his body was finally giving way to his old age. "I will not let you harm this village any longer!"

Orochimaru hissed angrily and began pulling the blade deeper as the third _Hokage _had the _Shinigami_ yanking out Orochimaru's soul through his body. The serpentine _Sannin_ felt his body become limp as his arms were the only ones still feeling some sense of alertness somewhere. He continued to pull the blade through in hopes of holding onto his soul. Sandaime on the other hand, struggling with his fatal wound, began pulling Orochimaru's soul as much as he could. He felt his eyes slowly flutter and shut and saw that Orochimaru was now gaining the upper hand. He felt the blade pierce deeper before exhaling with a sigh.

_Perhaps, taking his arms is good enough! To forever seal his chances of ever being able to cast a Jutsu and to save the Uchiha from extinction..._

With one long struggle, Sandaime punched more _chakra_ into sealing away his arms as Orochimaru howled in agony and watched his arms get taken away. Closing his eyes, _Sandaime_ smiled lightly before letting himself see the boy that Orochimaru once was one last time.

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**Yay, chapter 26 is finally done being revised! Please don't forget to review!**


	27. Rage of the Earth

**(I don't own Naruto!)**

Chapter 27- Rage on Earth

Meanwhile, Gray, Taichi, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Ino were going through the forest. All of the ninjas remained silent while keeping track of the fugitives. Gray had his _Byakuggan_ activated while he continued pushing his body over the limit. Taichi's black eyes had changed into a reptilian green and some of his skin started looking like scales. Sasuke had remained quiet but what shocked the others more is that Ino and Sakura wouldn't normally be cooperative over one another. In fact, the male Uchiha had been certain they'd be yelling at each other by now. However, he followed Ino's line of vision and found her staring at something else or rather someone.

Sakura, bewildered and slightly perplexed by Ino's silence, glanced at her rival.

_Does this mean she's finally given up on Sasuke?_

She noticed the look on Ino's face and looked at the direction of her focus and the one she was looking at was Hyuuga Gray, the Hyuuga who saved Ino's life. Sasuke and Sakura had exchanged glances before looking ahead once more. No time for hormones, they had a mission to focus on. The Sand ninjas started making their get away and based from their speed, they were getting farther and further away. Despite the aching feeling in their legs, the ninjas pushed themselves forward to find those who had injured their comrades and had lead to a security breach in their village. Gaara had indiscriminately destroyed everything his sand came in contact with and had almost killed several people. Sakura shuddered upon remembering the sounds of the wild destruction explosions in the village. She never knew that a _Genin_ ranked ninja from outside could be capable of such damage. But then again, he was a _Jinchuuriki_. She glanced at Naruto and Taichi zooming in front of them, biting her lower lip anxiously. Did that mean they were capable of that kind of destruction as well? But for them to restrain it proved just how strong they were.

On the other hand, Taichi punched more _chakra_ into his system as he felt his fangs forming at the upper row of his teeth. His heart pounded wildly against his chest as he cracked a branch by simply stepping on it. Gray bounced off the trees as they continued sizing up their opponent. He sniffed the air only to snort it out with a darkened glare. The air smelled foul with Shukaku's evil _chakra_; the dragon ninja clenched his hands into fists as he narrowed his eyes into reptilian slits. He shivered slightly at the coldness of the _chakra_. Who knew Shukaku could spill out that much evil?

Taichi threw a glance at Gray, raising an eyebrow. _Are you sure we can take him? My hairs are sticking up just by feeling his residue._

Gray on the other hand felt the fear and anxiety seize him as he saw the traces of red _chakra_ in his vision.

With _Byakuggan _activated, Hyuuga can only perceive and locate people via their _chakra. _Gray focused more _chakra _as it added more colour as he found wisps of blue and red dancing amongst the leaves. His ears twitched a little while he continued leaping through the trees, trying to keep up with Taichi. He knew how powerful Gaara was but the source of it would be Shukaku. He had heard about _bijuu_'s being horrible and powerful creatures that could easily reduce a mountain into a hill but never did he had to fight one who fought with the consciousness of a psychotic _bijuu_. He had seen Seiryuu with his own eyes and the dragon seemed to be more affable than most people perceive. Shaking his head, the coffee blonde Hyuuga swallowed his fear and continued pressing forward.

Gray glanced back at Taichi, nodding stiffly. _From the looks of it, I think you're the only one with a 100 percent chance of ever getting out alive. Your body is as hard as diamond. Nothing can penetrate your defence right now. If you can channel enough chakra into your fingers, who knows? You might be strong enough to rip a mountain open._

Sakura groaned in annoyance at the two boys; they had the ability to synchronize with each other and frankly – it was irritating to not know what the two were thinking. "Hey, will you guys quit communicating like that? We don't understand what you're saying!"

Suddenly, everyone stopped as Naruto narrowed his eyes. "He's close by."

Sasuke opened his Sharingan, clenching his fists tightly with a smirk. "Yeah, they're close."

Gray took his battle position, steeling himself for a horror show. "Everyone, be on your guard."

Nodding at one another with renewed vigour, they leapt on the tree branch until Gaara and Temari finally came into their view. Gray leapt up into the higher branches with Taichi maintaining a low profile. Sasuke stayed behind him with Naruto jumping towards the left side and Sakura taking the flank. The five ninjas prepared to surround them as Gray located Kankuro, Temari and an unconscious Gaara hanging limply in the girl's arms. He bit his lower lip while holding his _kunai_, feeling his hand trembling. Ignoring the fear, he continued to watch them before signalling at Taichi to ambush. With a huge grin, Taichi punched up his speed before leaping a huge bound and kicked Kankuro towards a tree. Temari looked in horror as Gray dropped from above with an axe kick only for Temari to leap away and force him to contort in mid-air and land on one of the branches a few metres away.

The dirty blonde _Sunagakure kunoichi_ tossed her hair back, smirking in amusement. "So, you managed to run down all the way here? You guys are more persistent than I thought."

Taichi grinned goofily, preparing to do a _Jutsu_. "Persistent is my middle name!"

Gray smirked devilishly as he started to freeze the water from his water pouch. "Besides, we're not going to let you guys get away for laying a siege against Konoha."

Gaara lifted his head weakly, letting out a hoarse whisper. "Temari…let me handle…this."

The sand kunoichi stared in horror, stupefied by her brother's weakened state. "But Gaara…!"

"Shut up!"

Without warning, his hand enveloped itself in sand and slammed Temari away but the sand kunoichi landed on her feet. Gaara clutched his head in pain as he started wobbling around, groaning in agony. His nails dug into his skin as he howled in agony, shaking his head and struggling to keep himself in check.

"What the hell," Taichi swallowed hard, staring in a completely stupefied expression. "What the hell is going on?"

After howling like what seemed to be three hours, Gaara suddenly stopped and fell into a deep silence. Everyone felt a chill run up their spine as his body suddenly stood up erect and a psychotic grin formed on his hips. His blue irises seemingly shrunk as his teeth gleamed with a psychotic desire. His hands crunched up into claws as sand started to surround his arms. A soft laughter suddenly became loud and howling with a maniacal tone as the air seemingly thickened and his _chakra_ started spilling all over the place.

He grinned maniacally, looking up at the sky. "Yes! Yes! All that power! I need blood! Give me more blood!"

Gray chuckled dryly, twirling his _kunai_ on his finger. "He just crossed the line from crazy and developed into a screwball."

Taichi gulped loudly, blinking incredulously at the blood-haired _Genin_. "I'd say."

Sand suddenly shot up into the air and formed a huge fountain before sprouting everywhere and began shooting in different directions. Some sharpened into sand javelins as they screamed towards the _Konohagakure_ ninjas. Everyone's eyes widened as he started gathering more sand and forming a gigantic sand arm. More sand appeared from his gourd as it started covering his face like some armour. His former light blue eyes then changed into demonic yellow with black sclera.

Sasuke clucked his tongue in annoyance, glancing at everyone. "Everyone spread out!"

As they moved away, some of the spears crashed into the trees but split apart and relentless began chasing them. Gray pulled out a wave of water and slung it towards the sand to soak it up and force it to drop. He then jumped away while using his _kunai_ to deflect the rest of the attacks, jumping away from different trees. Sasuke unleashed a fireball with several _shurikens_ as the sand javelins engulfed the metal weaponry and exploded upon contact with his fireball. Sakura swung her _kunai_ in attempt to block only to hide behind a tree and let the sand crash against the thick bark of the trees. Naruto yelped as he leapt high into the air and let the sand die down as he got higher towards the sky. Ino stared in horror as she managed to jump away only to find herself hiding behind a tree as well, using a _kunai_ to block the rest of the javelins flying towards her. Clucking his tongue in annoyance, Taichi jumped away until one of the javelins grazed his shirt but left his skin completely unharmed. Another javelin sent him crashing towards the tree but he grabbed hold on one of the branches before hurling himself back front and calling up the rocks.

"Everyone, get behind me!"

Everyone moved behind Taichi as rocks floated up and easily shielded them from the wildly flying sand javelins. Taichi slightly winced at the impact as some of the dust flew into his face. Gray on the other hand unleashed more water and weighed down the other javelins to prevent them from flying towards them. Gaara roared in fury before unleashing more sand bullets at them. Gray called the water on the ground before gesturing a single-handed _Jutsu_ seal.

"_Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suisho!_" (Secret Art: Thousand Killing Crystals of Death)

The ice crystals flew and smashed into the javelins, parrying the attacks while the rocks continued to function as a heavy defender.

Ino gawked in admonishment; how could someone have that kind of power at their rank? "He's gone whacko big time!"

"No duh, Ino," Sakura rolled her eyes sarcastically at the blonde Yamanaka _kunoichi_. "How do we stop him?"

Gray winced at the loud explosions as he called up more water from the ground and solidified them into javelins for a parry. "Let me see if Taichi and I can hold off the sand attacks. You guys hit him hard when the sands concentrated on us."

Nodding weakly, Sakura jumped out from behind as more sand crashed against Taichi's defensive wall. Sasuke and Naruto took the initiative as Ino leapt out from behind. Seeing that her brother was being overpowered, Temari jumped into the fray as well with Kankuro as puppets flew towards them. The Hyuuga's eyes widened with horror as it closed in on Ino, jumping off one of Taichi's rocks as a foothold and kicking down Kankuro with a circular round kick, slamming him against one of the branches. As he started falling down to the lower branches, Gray immediately started gathering water with his _Jutsu _and solidified it as hard as he could.

"_Tousou Ittou no Jutsu_," Gray felt the blade form around his arm, launching himself at Kankuro and swinging it towards him. (Frost Bite Blade technique)

Seeing Gray on the offensive, Kankuro jumped back before throwing Karasu forward. Gray sidestepped out of the way before jumping directly on top of _Karasu _and pushed himself forward for a speed boost to get close to the puppeteer. As he prepared to summon another blade, he grabbed his pouch with a groan.

"Great, the most horrible time to run out of water," Gray rolled his eyes until his expression brightened up with an idea. "Wait a minute, there's one technique I haven't tried," – placing his fingers in half tiger seal, he closed his eyes as he let his _chakra _surge into the air, "_Yuki Choushuu no Jutsu_." (Snow Collection Skill)

Sneering with a mocking snort, Kankuro raised an eyebrow before launching _Karasu_ back at Gray. "Heh, what the hell is that gonna do for you!?"

However, the Sand puppeteer's eyes widened as he found snow raining from the air as Gray suddenly appeared in front of him with now TWO frostbite blades on each arm as he started cutting the strings between him and _Karasu_.

Seeing that his teammate had begun his attack, Taichi dropped the defence and immediately summoned his sword. "_Tsuchi Tsurugi no Jutsu_!" (Stone Sword technique)

His eyes widened however when he found from rock, it became crystal diamond. As the sand slammed into the blade, the sword had cut through the sand as if were nothing. It didn't even show a sign of a crack! Taichi's eyes widened as he continued blocking the incoming sand javelins with the new sword albeit a bit perplexed that his sword had now taken a new form. He leapt high into the air with his sword singing and blocking the sand attacks as Gaara launched more sand bullets at him. Blocking most of the bullets, Taichi swung his blade towards Gaara only to have an arm swat him back. As he flew back, Taichi recovered and took time to look at his blade.

"What the hell is this," Taichi stared agape at his blade. "I've never done shit like this before!"

Gray landed right beside him after throwing a couple of _kunai_ at Kankuro. "Your chakra must be generating heat. In that process, carbon alters when exposed to heat and pressure and becomes diamond."

Blinking several times and trying to comprehend what Gray just said, Taichi cracked a huge grin with a nonchalant shrug before charging towards Gaara. "Who the hell cares how it works? I call this, _Daia Tsurugi no Jutsu_!" (Diamond Sword Technique)

He charged towards Gaara and slashed the sand away which soon fell limply to the ground after coming in contact with his blade. Gray managed to freeze a few of its shots and was able to let Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Ino move in for the attack. Ino unleashed her aconite laced _kunai_ which the sand had swatted away while Sakura threw more _kunai_ which a huge sand barrier just appeared before Gaara. Sasuke and Naruto threw in a couple of kicks and punches as Gaara swung his arm to knock both boys back.

As they moved in, Gaara grinned as he fired more sand spears. "Do you think you can actually stop me that way!?"

He shot more sand before slamming both Ino and Sakura against a tree trunk, knocking them out. Naruto and Sasuke moved in but were also hit back by Gaara's sand. Sasuke hissed in annoyance as he pushed more _chakra_ into his Sharingan. He could barely catch Shukaku's movement and that thought alone irritated him. He clenched his fists tightly and gnashed his teeth together and suddenly remembered the burst of _chakra_ he gained during the exam. His eyes widened as his hand slowly moved towards the cursed seal that had been subjugated by Kakashi. Inhaling deeply, he let the seal go as the seal started spreading its marks around his body.

Gaara sneered with menacing grin, summoning more sand. "Do you really think you could take me that way!? You dangerously miscalculated! I'll make you drown in hell with my sand!"

A huge sand wave appeared and Sasuke forcibly released the cursed seal as he felt a huge surge in _chakra_. The seal Kakashi put to subdue it came off and Sasuke felt the rush of adrenaline through his limbs, feeling the power screaming in his veins. With a huge grin of delight, Sasuke charged again but got flicked away effortlessly. Gaara sneered darkly as he swung his arm to dribble Sasuke against the branch before whacking him away towards another tree. As Sasuke flew back, Gray jumped on Gaara's arm and dragged his _kunai_ into the sand structure before using it to swing him with enough momentum towards Gaara to kick him which failed miserably as Gaara grabbed Gray's leg and slammed him against another tree.

With both their _tensai _combatants down, Taichi launched himself with his diamond blade and started parrying the sand spears before slashing off Gaara's arm. Howling incessantly with rage, Gaara swung in for a punch until the blonde _Kyuubi_ _jinchuuriki_ had caught his arm and flung him back. Gaara staggered as he managed to find a foot hold on another branch until Taichi punched through the sand. Gaara's eyes widened; when did he have the capability to pierce through the sand's defence? His face then contorted into rage as he swung his arm again to knock back the draconic ninja who landed right next to Naruto.

Naruto clenched his fists, glaring angrily, "Let Sakura-chan go! And Ino too!"

Gaara sneered mockingly, imitating the hyperactive blonde ninja's voice. "Why should I!? Let Sakura-chan go! And Ino too! Bah," –he growled as more _chakra_ caused the sand to create a huge armour. "Why should I care about those two!?"

Naruto bit his lower lip, glaring daggers at _Sunagakure'_s _jinchuuriki_. "Because they're people and even though they despise the likes of all three of us, they tried to like us no matter how much they despised us!"

Taichi, glancing at how badly Gray took a beating, clenched his hands into a fist as his voice became more draconic. "Snow Cone over there never once gave a flying shit that I was a _jinchuuriki_. I have friends who actually cared that I was just Taichi Yamato, the kid who wanted to be the best. I'm not gonna just stand there and let my _nakama_ hog the glory and take hits like an idiot!"

Gaara howled angrily, spewing out more sand from his gourd. "Those are all filthy lies! People only like you because they want to use you! They want you to become a weapon of mass destruction!"

Naruto shook his head adamantly. "That's not true!"

"Yeah, I know that."

Flabbergasted, Naruto gawked at Taichi as if he had grown two heads. "Taichi, what the heck...?"

Taichi shook his head before nodding with a light chuckle. "Yeah, my life was pretty much screwed up. I was a frail kid who couldn't go out without getting the flu. I had to be experimented on to be what I am today. Everything I am now is based on a freakin' test tube and some wanked up spirit sealing ritual."

Gaara grinned but lost it as Taichi's reptilian green eyes gleamed with new found determination. "It's our choice whether we want to become a monster or not!"

Seeing Taichi's gleam irritated Gaara to no end. How could these boys see so differently from him? They were hated from the very moment they had taken their first breath! Naruto had lived with the spirit of the _Kyuubi _in his body and Taichi had surrendered half of his humanity to become something else. How could they see such a surreal world in which people would accept them? The red haired _Sunagakure _ninja gawked at them stupidly as he watched both Jinchuuriki take hits from him without backing down. They had lost no speed at attacking him or the consistency of their strength. In a fit of rage, Gaara unleashed more sand and sent them flying towards both of them. Taichi immediately sprung out while Naruto took a sidestep away from the attacking sand.

"How are we gonna get close," Naruto twitched in annoyance until he remembered something while he trained with Jiraiya. "Hey Taichi, I have an idea!"

The navy haired ninja raised an eyebrow at the _Kyuubi_, watching him perform a few seals. "What in blue blazes are you doing?"

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Gamabunta_!" (Summoning Technique)

From the seal Naruto had placed on the ground, a huge frog leapt out and let Taichi and Naruto fall onto its back. The bluenette's eyes widened; where the hell did Naruto learn how to summon something that huge? He knew that frog wasn't just any frog but Gamabunta – a frog summoned only by the legendary _sannin _Jiraiya and the _Yondaime_.

Naruto punched the air triumphantly, dancing around. "Oh yeah! I did it!"

Taichi smiled sheepishly, scratching his head. "That's cool. But…"

Naruto looked at him expectantly.

"I'd hate to be pessimistic, but how is he going to help us!?"

Gaara roared louder than ever as he launched sand spears towards them, forcing Gamabunta to jump away.

Gamabunta scoffed at the bluenette, snorting in annoyance. "Of course, I'm going to help you, you stupid brat! That's why I'm summoned or are you too stupid to be realize that!?"

Taichi groaned in defeat; they were completely doomed with a back talking frog as a weapon and Naruto's lack of control. "Wow, a back talking frog. What a weapon."

The frog jumped around, scolding and howling at Naruto. "Why did you summon me, huh!? You have no right to summon me, brat!"

Naruto hung on for dear life. "AAAAAAAAGH!"

Clucking his tongue in annoyance, Taichi released some of his _chakra_ to make sure he stuck on Gamabunta. "This is so not helping! Can you at least try to be cooperative!?"

"Shut up, boy! This brat had no reason to summon me," Gamabunta continued rampaging around.

"Well, he summoned you now so will you freakin' deal with it or so help me God and," Taichi turned around with a snarl, only to find more sand engulfing Gaara and making the former _Genin_ become a huge sand raccoon. "Oh hell no, when the hell did that freakin' happen?!"

Gaara started howling insanely and unleashed a whole barrage of sand. The trees instantly fell to Shukaku's power as more sand javelins flew towards them.

"Naruto, you better control that fat frog of yours or we're gonna be six feet under **LITERALLY**," Taichi prepared to summon rocks and launched some of them straight at the sand javelins, taking out a few.

Naruto continued being thrown around until Gamabunta saw Gaara evolving. The frog felt the ominous energy seeping out of the huge creature before letting out a reluctant scowl.

"Fine, brat. I'll help you out once. But only now since you saved Gamakichi and the other frogs."

Naruto grinned gratefully, loosening his grip on the frog in relief. "Thank you! Thanks so much!"

Gamabunta snorted and charged towards Shukaku with its blade swinging. Shukaku swung its arm towards Gamabunta who blocked its attack with his blade. The two soon got into a wrestling match, pushing one another back. Shukaku hissed angrily before whacking Gamabunta with its tail. Gamabunta leapt back before kicking it with its hind legs and sent the demon raccoon crashing onto the ground until its arm stretched out and sucker punched the toad right under the jaw. Taichi jumped back as more sand flew in his vision, seething in annoyance. Naruto at least now had a fighting chance. What could he do? He hadn't learned any summoning technique.

"Damn it, isn't there anything I can do," Taichi slammed his fist on the toad's back, furious at his helplessness.

"Yes there is."

Taichi turned around and saw nothing until he saw a spirit image of Seiryuu, looking at him with its magnificent green eyes and its glimmering silver blue scales. His eyes widened into the size of dinner plates as he found a huge dragon sitting in front of him. Gamabunta seemed unaware of its presence as the navy bluenette couldn't help but gawk at the sight of the marvellous creature. He whacked his face to check if he was dreaming but he still could hear Shukaku's maniacal laughter in the background. Clearly, he wasn't dreaming.

Taichi managed to rip out of his throat. "Who are you?"

The dragon chuckled lightly, staring straight into his eyes. "I am Seiryuu. Your _bijuu_ and the very reason why everyone hates you."

Taichi blinked several times before letting out whistle. "No shit, you're damn huge. Who'd wanna spend money on building a huge house which is gonna break since dragons grow big?"

Seiryuu chuckled at the bluenette's humour, folding its front claws together. "You're an optimistic one."

"Hehe, someone has to make sure to diffuse Gray's horrible paranoia and obsessive compulsiveness and Mimi's cynicism," Taichi grinned before looking back at the huge demonic raccoon wreaking the havoc on the forest. "How are you going to help me…? That thing's big enough to eat a mountain!"

Seiryuu inhaled deeply and began to glow brighter. "I shall become your summon. And at the same time, I shall lend you my power and strength. With this, I will increase your power fifty fold under one condition…"

Taichi raised an eyebrow, suddenly paling upon remembering what dragons liked eating. "What? No way are you having my arm for dinner!"

Seiryuu chuckled at the boy's terrified expression, shaking his head. "Let me out more often. I'd like exercise as well."

Seeing Seiryuu's cooperativeness, Taichi smirked and gave him a bro-fist. "No problem!"

Seiryuu smiled lightly before disappearing, fading into Taichi's body "I promise, your _nakama _shall remain unharmed."

Taichi felt a huge surge of _chakra_ as if a boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. His body trembled with raw power as he felt his hands becoming more claw like and his skin hardening into diamond scales. He felt every fibre of his body burn with power and his body began to scream with adrenaline. As he felt a renewed vigour return to him, Taichi's eyes widened as he watched his former bruises and sores fade into his skin as if nothing had happened to him to begin with. A huge grin appeared on his face as he punched his hand into the air, lifting into the sky via pure _chakra_ radiation.

"Oh yeah!"

While Gamabunta and Shukaku were fighting, they heard a loud dragon roar. Everyone froze at that moment in time as the earth began to tremble and the skies brightened with beams of light shining down on them. The trees began rustling in the wind as a huge gleam of light appeared right behind Shukaku.

Gamabunta stared in horror and shock; that roar sounded all too familiar to him. "It can't be…!"

They looked from afar and there stood Seiryuu in its silver glory.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Whoo, what a revision! I didn't know I had to add so much! Please don't forget to review!**


	28. Clash of the Titans

**(I don't own Naruto! And never will except for my OC! No one touch them! They belong to me and my cousins!)**

Chapter 28 – Clash of the Titans

Shukaku howled in insanity as he staggered back in horror, watching silver blue scales shine under the sunlight. The _bijuu _had heard the legends regarding Seiryuu's powers but never expected him to awaken in the middle of battle nor find himself a _jinchuuriki_. Waves of _chakra_ pulsed from where the huge five clawed dragon had stood, knocking down some of the trees and nullified most of Shukaku's dark aura. Gamabunta gaped in astonishment as he found Taichi standing on top of Seiryuu with his ninja clothes transforming into a glistening silver blue robes. Seiryuu let out a glorious roar before ascending to the sky and dive-bombing Shukaku. The demonic _tanuki_ staggered back as the silver dragon swung its tail and knocked it back once more before lunging at it with is claws put out.

Naruto wanted to yank his hair out in admonishment; Taichi had that much power!? "That's Taichi!? But how the heck did he do that!? Isn't that his _bijuu_?"

Gamabunta narrowed its eyes while watching the huge reptile make short work of Shukaku, staying far away as a huge blast struck down Shukaku. "Unlike your _bijuu_, Seiryuu has a very different personality. Each _bijuu _has its own personality that makes it the way it is. However, Seiryuu in itself is not a _bijuu_. It's a Celestial creature; a creature that had fallen from the heavens due to the chaos caused by the humans on earth. This also explains why Taichi can control his chakra better than you. His _bijuu _had grown attached to his master and will lend his power when Taichi is within a certain radius of danger."

Naruto pouted impishly, folding his arms with a snort. "Why isn't Kyuubi like that?"

Gamabunta rolled his eyes in annoyance; had the boy not heard what he said? "Like I said, each spirit has its own personality. In fact, the only major denominator among spirits is that they are catastrophic in terms of power. Seiryuu could easily level a mountain with his strength. Secondly, that's because you never bothered to make friends with your _bijuu_. And I don't blame you, the _Kyuubi _had been known to rampage like a wild animal without anybody keeping hold on him. However, Taichi had the persistence to try and make friends with his spirit. He decided to befriend the _bijuu_ who made his life miserable. From time to time, perhaps Taichi had resorted to communicating with the huge dragon and that's what made them closer. Anyone who gets too near Taichi just to hurt him ends up be killed by Seiryuu."

"Wow, I never knew that," Naruto pondered deeply for a moment before shaking his head out of the clouds. "Before anything else though, we have to stop Gaara!"

"You don't say," Gamabunta grumbled in irritation under its breath before leaping towards the huge raccoon. "Hang on to my back, boy!"

With a leaping kick, the huge toad kicked down Shukaku before landing away from it and drawing out its huge blade. Shukaku swung its sand arm towards Gamabunta until a huge silver tail parried it and had more claws aimed for its face. The dragon unleashed a wind turbulent howl and sent Shukaku on the defence while Gamabunta sprung on the opportunity to swing its blade and take off its arm, only to have it grow back due to the sand on the ground. Shukaku kicked up a huge gust of sand which Seiryuu immediately coiled around Taichi to deflect the sand and Gamabunta launched itself past the tornado, knocking down Shukaku again towards another clump of trees.

Seiryuu clucked its tongue in annoyance before looking at the bluenette boy, hiding behind his scales. "Are you hurt, Taichi-sama?"

The navy bluenette brushed the sand out of his hair, grinning goofily. "He he, it's nothing a good shower won't fix. By the way, you don't have to call me 'Taichi-sama'. I'm not your master; I'm supposed to be your companion, remember?"

The silver dragon blinked several times, looking at the goofy grin on the boy's face. This boy grinned at him even though everyone despised him for his very existence. Normally, a person would have withdrawn himself from the rest of the world cursing the very day he was born. But the bluenette truly had surprised him when he chose to befriend the dragon. Regardless of whether he was the Celestial Beast or a demonic dragon that crawled out of God knows where, Seiryuu found himself truly flabbergasted with Taichi's relationship with him. The dragon chuckled inwardly to himself; Taichi had been the only friend as of late and even the _bijuu_ on the same spiritual plane hated his guts. Sure there had been a few bumps here and there and Taichi had told him that he hated the fact that Seiryuu had been thrown into his body but he had hated more the people who had forced a dragon like him into a prison such as his own body. Seiryuu smiled lightly at the thought of fighting along his _jinchuuriki_; it truly had been a different experience for him. Nodding in compliance, he launched himself up into the air and prepared for another dive-bomb.

_Kyuubi can blabber as much as he wants. But I know this – Taichi and I are one. We both want the same thing!_

Unleashing a battle-hungry howl, the dragon soared into the air and dove straight at Shukaku with its claws out. Shukaku, being distracted by Gamabunta, took the strike head on and tumbled back into another mountain as the dragon wrapped itself around him. Shukaku struggled against Seiryuu's tightening coil before bringing out its arms to smash Seiryuu's head. In retaliation, Seiryuu ripped its arm off in between its jaws while Gamabunta rammed its sword against the _tanuki_'s back. Seeing he had a chance to inflict damage, Taichi immediately began throwing out seals with Naruto jumping off Gamabunta with his own set of seals.

"_Ryu Henge; Tsuin Ryu no Subeta_," Taichi pulled out two swords from the sleeves of his robes, jumping off Seiryuu and headed straight towards Shukaku. (Dragon Transformation: Twin Dragon Sabres)

With Shukaku restrained in Seiryuu's coiled form and injured from Gamabunta, Taichi and Naruto immediately ran up the creature's arms with their weapons swinging. The shadow clones climbed up and began digging their _kunai_ into the sand. Taichi slashed Shukaku's eyes as it howled in agony, eager to throw them off and wriggling itself free from Seiryuu's grip. The dragon however refused to relent and Shukaku relented in taking out Gamabunta instead.

Naruto swallowed hard, jumping onto Gamabunta's back. "Move, Gamabunta! He's going to hit us!"

The huge frog jumped away as Shukaku waved both its claws to bring down Gamabunta and release itself from Seiryuu's coil.

Meanwhile, Gray knocked down Kankuro as he found himself squaring off with both siblings. The Hyuuga male glanced to one side and found Sasuke's body frozen and lying on the ground while Ino was trying to pull Sakura out while the pink haired kunoichi was knocked out. Chuckling lightly, Gray glanced at both siblings before looking at a very heavily damaged _Karasu_. With three of its limbs shattered off, the puppet barely maintained its original speed and Kankuro took several hits as well and had his _chakra_ strings fading. Temari on the other hand still had a full load of stuff to throw at him. He bit his lower lip before relaxing his position slightly.

Gray raised an eyebrow with an amused chuckle, maintaining a more lax position. "Well, I must say – good job in screwing up half your lives. I wouldn't lay siege on a village with a ticking time bomb in my hands. That's kinda risky you know. There's a huge danger of a very big miscalculation on how strong the village's manpower really is."

Temari clucked her tongue in annoyance, feeling the strain as she hung her head. "Orochimaru said Gaara could handle it…"

Gray heard the faint murmur before frowning darkly. He remembered fighting Orochimaru and the mere memory sent shivers up his spine. Shaking his head, Gray maintained a close eye-contact with both ninjas' movements, waiting for them to strike. However, he couldn't remember seeing Orochimaru as part of the participants but his eyes widened and remembered seeing a serpentine _Otogakure_ _Jounin _standing on the ledge next to the other _Jounin. _No wonder he didn't fight him! They were supposed to fight one another!

_That must've been Orochimaru! Why didn't I see it before!?_

Temari chuckled lightly and raised her fan, seeing how Gray had become distracted. "Well, all your teammates are down! You have no chance on winning against me!"

As a huge tornado flew in his direction, Gray narrowed his eyes before pushing himself away. Seeing him jumping around, Temari prepared to throw out another tornado until a few aconite-laced knives nearly hit her. The _Sunagakure_ _kunoichi_ dodged it and saw Ino standing there with a poisonous aconite, narrowing eyes with a dark glare. Temari chuckled lightly as she pushed herself from one of the branches to knock down Ino only to have Gray intercept her attack and kick her back.

"You mess with one ninja, you mess with all of us," Ino hissed angrily as she brought out a rose whip.

"_Puri_," Gray ran his fingers gingerly through his hair with his Trickster smirk.

Sakura slowly regained her consciousness and found herself leaning against the tree trunk, watching Ino and Gray work in tandem against Kankuro and Temari. Her green eyes widened as she watched Gray perform a mid-air butterfly kick and created enough distance for him to release a couple of knives. Ino dealt with Temari as both girls got into a punching and kicking match as she dodged another slicing wind from Temari's _tessen_. Gray kicked down Kankuro, narrowly dodging the puppet's attempt to grab him. Sakura weakly managed to get up and found Sasuke forcing back the cursed seal with sheer will power.

"Sasuke-_kun_, are you okay," Sakura slung his arm on her shoulder, watching the battle unfold before her.

"Yeah, don't mind me," Sasuke winced slightly from the paralysis, regaining some feeling in his limbs. "Go help them."

Gray quickly summoned the snow that had been falling, solidifying it into a whip. "_Hyouton: Nurunue Koori no Jutsu_." (Ice Element; Ice Whip Technique)

As it began its extension, Gray inhaled deeply as the ice started solidifying and taking on a new shape. He felt his _chakra_ pouring into the snow as the whip revealed a curved edge and a chain-like structure. The moment he opened his eyes, he whirled around the new weapon and blocked all the flying _shuriken_ and _kunai_. The puppet lurched towards him as his _kusari-gama_ wrapped itself around the puppet, freezing its entire body until Kankuro yanked it out.

"_Gyouko Kusari-gama," _Gray spun the chain sickle around before throwing the sharp blade-like end at _Karasu_, piercing its hide and using its pull to throw him towards Kankuro.

Kankuro staggered back as Gray easily closed the distance between them, narrowly avoiding his mid-air spinning kick. He knew that Gray was a Hyuuga clan member based on name but he had shown no Hyuuga related technique since the whole battle had started. With an annoyed snort, Kankuro pulled back Karasu to attack him only to clumsily use it as a shield. On the other side, Ino snaked her rose whip in harmonious accords as Temari started jumping away to avoid the whirling pattern. Seeing Gray's _Kusari-gama _causing problems for her brother, Temari jumped into the middle of the battle and let the rose whip snag itself on Gray's whip. A smirk of triumph appeared on her lips until both blondes attacked them from both sides, slamming both she and Kankuro against the tree trunk. Karasu managed to cushion the blow but thorns shot out from Ino's whip which forced Temari to bring out her fan and block it. As the thorns from the whip lodged itself into the trees, the chakra in the rose whip triggered a mutagenic growth of vines and the vines wrapped around Temari and her brother. With Gray's _Kusari-gama_, the vines immediately froze around them and tightened its constriction.

Temari chuckled lightly, seeing the two blondes standing in front of them. "I have to say – not bad for a pretty face."

Ino smiled vainly, flipping her hair. "Well, I am the best _kunoichi_ in _Konohagakure_ after all."

Temari rolled her eyes as she managed to pull out one of her _kunai_, striking off the frozen binds. "I didn't mean you, bitch."

Ino snorted in annoyance as Temari launched herself at her, swinging her fan to knock down the blonde Yamanaka _kunoichi_. As Ino flew back, Temari leapt towards Ino and Gray snaked his whip and entangled Temari's grip with the fan. Clucking her tongue in annoyance, Temari yanked the _Kusari-gama_ and dragged Gray towards her brother before attacking Ino once again. With a huge gust of wind slamming Ino against a tree, Sasuke took the initiative and lunged at the _Sunagakure_ _kunoichi_ as Gray leapt at her from behind after stunning and knocking down her brother.

Temari snickered lightly, unleashing another flesh slicing wind. "Aww…two cute faces. It's so sad that I'm going to be the one to beat you!"

Winds charged towards them as Sasuke jumped into the air and Gray side stepped, slicing the trees.

Gray, performing a set of hand seals, jumped into the air before unleashing an icy breath. "_Hyouton; Aisu Kaze no Jutsu_!" (Ice Element: Icy Wind Technique)

As the icy winds crashed against Temari's flesh slicing wind, the wind blades froze as Gray grabbed each and everyone of them before altering its shape. Tracing the _chakra_ in the ice crescents, he fused them all together and formed a huge _Chakram_ before hurling it towards Temari. Leaping over the frozen _Chakram_, Temari winced at the damage as the _Chakram_ tore through one tree and imbedded itself in the other. She threw a couple of shurikens and Sasuke sent a flaming fireball towards then, forcing Temari and Kankuro to leap out of the way. As the coffee blonde boy took advantage of the huge fireball, Gray tried to land a punch until someone grabbed him using his puppets.

Gray looked behind him and saw Kankuro with his puppet, _Karasu_.

The puppeteer grinned evilly, manipulating his puppets. "You thought your ice would do the trick? That's where you're wrong!"

A poisoned knife slashed through Gray's left sleeve and managed to scratch his skin. Gray covered the bleeding part and landed on one of the branches, kicking _Karasu_ away from him. He winced slightly as his vision started to blur and everything around him started to swirl horribly. He heard a loud screeching sound as Kankuro slammed into him again, knocking him down a few branches.

Kankuro chuckled in amusement, leaping down to finish him off. "Oh by the way, the knife that hit you is poisonous. You'll be dead in minutes!"

The blonde Hyuuga, clucking his tongue in annoyance, jumped away as the puppet began hounding him. Gray continued to dodge, hiding behind the trees. _Karasu_ raced towards him and forced Gray on the defensive. His stance wobbled dangerously as he desperately tried to balance on the branches.

_Puri, time to pull out all the stops._

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Temari were dodging each other's attacks and Sasuke managed to get close enough only to have his punch blocked by the fan. Temari clipped his fist until Sasuke kicked the fan and pushed her away and taking out his fist from the grasp. As he landed against one of the tree trunks, Sasuke launched himself again with his _chakra_ finally settling in back to normal. He felt his legs suddenly become more able as he kicked Temari back and landed another scissor kick to her neck, bringing her down. Temari fell over but pushed away with her fan completely unfolded only to find Sasuke with his _Sharingan_ fully activated.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, smirking gleefully. "It's about time!"

However, as his _Sharingan_ activated – the cursed seal started burning through his skin again. Sasuke winced in annoyance as he pushed the pain to farthest end of his mind, launching himself towards the _Sunagakure kunoichi_. Temari backed up a little with her fan as his kick suddenly exploded with enough impact to send her staggering. Purple streams of _chakra_ started to pour out from his body as Temari swung her fan to knock him down with a huge gust of wind only to have him suddenly vanish and appear right above her.

Temari, kicking away from the branch, hid behind the trunk of another tree. "So, even with his injuries he manages to get me. Hold on, isn't he…"

Her eyes widened as she remembered the words of the _Kazekage_ before she found his dead body:

_The boy will be mine. The blood in his veins is those of an Uchiha. Wielders of the Sharingan! I must get him! His brother is too powerful for me to capture._

Temari clenched her hand into a fist, realizing that _Sunagakure _had been made into a scapegoat. With _Sunagakure _as a shield, Orochimaru had enough leeway to start searching for the last descendant of the Uchiha clan although he had found two. She remembered seeing the triple coloured haired girl and saw how powerful she was against the _Otogakure_ ninja, easily scaring the daylights out of her and treating her as if she were nothing. The mere sight at how Mimi simply stared at the girl sent shivers down her spine as she remembered the ear-splitting scream that echoed throughout the stadium after the female Uchiha _kunoichi_ had dealt with her. She remembered also the existence of Uchiha Itachi – the infamous slayer of the entire Uchiha clan. She couldn't believe that one member of the Uchiha could be that strong and slaughter an entire clan with their own power.

As Temari moved away a few branches away from Sasuke, she looked at Gaara, whose bloodlust started getting control of his mind and fusing itself into his fighting style. His movements started becoming more frantic and frenzied as he slammed Gamabunta against a clump of trees and Seiryuu had been forced on the defensive. Her eyes widened as she saw Gaara rampaging and chaining up his attacks before throwing Seiryuu on the ground while Taichi and Naruto tried their best to lay hits.

"Please be okay, Gaara," Temari trembled as she continued to struggle in her fight against the male Uchiha.

Meanwhile, Taichi and Seiryuu dodged the flying sand bullets as Gaara and Shukaku smacked a whole pile of sand into their faces. Seiryuu roared tauntingly as Shukaku snarled back and rushed towards Seiryuu who lashed out its huge tail and knocked down the huge sand _tanuki. _Sand from Shukaku's body floated and charged towards Taichi as the dragon swam through the air before smacking into him with a full body slam. Shukaku grabbed Seiryuu before throwing it aside but not before the dragon lashed its tail towards Shukaku. Taichi slashed the sand as the bullets rained down on them, forcing them back on the defensive.

"Shit," Taichi scowled deeply as he swung his blade and whacked the sand ball for a homerun. "Seiryuu, try to get me close! I can't get a good shot from this range!"

Naruto followed Taichi, looking at Gamabunta in determination. "Gamabunta, I know you hate me ordering you around but I have to!"

The huge toad snorted in annoyance, bucking off the hyperactive blonde ninja. "Just go, Naruto!"

The yellow haired ninja managed to grab hold of Shukaku and managed to reach the top where he would have to confront Gaara, personally. Naruto found himself staring at what he would have become if he had gave into his sadness. He remembered the times many people hated him or kids refused to play with him just because he had the spirit of the _Kyuubi_. Those times, Naruto had always asked himself what he did wrong. Did something bad happen because of him? At that very same day, he found a blue haired boy being bullied for being once frail and suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Kids shoved him around left and right but the moment Naruto got in the way, both kids were thrown into the river. What Naruto never expected was however that the bluenette would now become his very comrade fighting alongside him against one of their own. Nodding at one another, Taichi and Naruto charged towards Gaara as his body appeared on the forehead of Shukaku. Sand shot out to knock them back as they continued swerving and swimming their way through as barriers started covering Gaara. The red haired ninja chuckled humourlessly with his arms dangling lifelessly, bitterly smiling.

_It's pointless. If I can't kill myself then, they can't either._

Sand followed their every movement and Taichi managed to slash them away. Swinging his sword, Taichi deftly deflected the sand bullets flying in his direction before hardening the scales on his arms to take on the heavy impact. The sand crashed hard against him but he didn't lose his speed. Taichi continued pushing himself forward while swinging the twin sabres and blocking the sand bullets. Naruto only had his _kunai_ to rely on as he leapt high into the air to bring down another sand spear.

Naruto gawked in astonishment, dancing around and avoiding the other attacks. "There's too much sand! It's gonna take us ages!"

"Not unless you blow the living shit out of him!"

Naruto's and Taichi's eyes widened as a fireball slammed into Shukaku's forehead, burning the sand and leaving huge dark mark. The latter howled in pain and began bucking around, swinging its arms to throw off Taichi and Naruto. The navy bluenette stared agape as he found Mimi somersaulting in the air and landing on the creature, lacing out a whole line with oil. With a deep inhale, Mimi unleashed a roaring inferno with Shukaku screaming in agony while desperately trying to squash her.

The bluenette could have not been any happier to see the Uchiha at this point. "Damn it, Mimi! What the hell took you so long?""

The brown haired Uchiha kunoichi snorted in annoyance as black flames suddenly started to burn. "I had to deal with other fat fucking twats when I was trying to make my way here, dipshit! Besides, what makes you think I'm gonna let you kick this guy's ass alone? I AM NOT LETTING YOU HOG ALL THE GLORY!"

Taichi blinked several times, staring incredulous at the crazed arsonist. "Why's that?"

Mimi smacked Gaara's sand away before flashing a bloodthirsty grin, burning the rest of the sand away. "You know what they say, the bigger they are, and the harder you can hit 'em!"

Shukaku growled and tried to swipe Mimi off as the Uchiha female vaulted over the sand javelins, swinging her _kunai_ to deflect any aerial attacks flying at her. Shukaku glared dark holes as he saw her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ swirling around and black flames shooting out from nowhere. Sand spears launched at her as Mimi placed her hand near her eyes with a triumphant grin.

"_Amaterasu_," Mimi grinned psychotically and set everything ablaze with howling black flames until a whip pulled her away from sand spikes, revealing Izumi tapping her foot. "What the fuck was that for?"

Izumi rolled her eyes at her teammate. "What kind of a girl engages in such brutal and vulgar battles?"

Mimi smirked devilishly, whirling around her _kunai_ before once again jumping into the fray. "A deadly Uchiha kunoichi is what! Outta my way, you irrelevant niggas!"

Watching Mimi resort to the offensive strategy, Manyama chuckled lightly as she brought out her own weapons. "No matter what you do, Mimi will always be thrilled by the excitement of battle."

Izumi pouted impishly, snaking her whip and unleashing her own volley of thorns. "It's not ladylike to jump into battle like some uncouth brute."

Manyama clucked her tongue in annoyance as more sand came crashing down her way, grabbing Izumi before they could get hit. "Tch, this is gonna be a long battle."

As the two dodged the sand, Gaara flung sand at them angrily with a psychotic glare. "No one cares about anybody! People are just here to DIE!"

_Gaara's P.O.V_

This fight has already been decided! They won't make it! I'll kill them! What makes them go on anyway!? Don't people only care about themselves!? What's this feeling? It's so confusing! Damn them! They'll all have to die! Why does everyone get love except me!? I watched the silver dragon's teammates attack me left and right without relenting before the silver dragon launched itself at me again. With one swing of my arm, I knocked down the huge creature but not before getting burned by those irritating black flames. That girl – her eyes, they look so terrifying! She's taking me on without fearing! What's making them fight me? Why are they so strong?

_Because they have each other, that's why._

"No fair," I clutched my head as I continued to be surrounded by the darkness. "Why? Why am I the only one who's all alone!?"

Images flashed in my mind on how my uncle Yashamaru took care of me. I remembered his kind smile and how he always told me that he would be there for me. Was he just lying? All the attempts on my life too flashed before my eyes. Sands flew into the air and morphed into huge spears before skewering them all before their blood sprayed in my face. It horrified me to no end but as the attacks became more frequent, I felt this funny feeling inside me. It started to look pretty with all the red blotches on the ground. But never did I realize that Uncle Yashamaru would try to kill me. He was just there to kill me! Damn it! I hate you people! I'll kill all of you! Every last one of you!

_Normal P.O.V_

Taichi continued dancing around as he blocked flying sand streams. Mimi started unleashing a rage of fireballs as she leapt around and dodged more sand _shurikens_. Manyama whirled around her chain sickle as the sand bullets smashed against the whirling barrier. Izumi on the other hand had moved in with her whirling rose whip as she blocked away the sand bullets. However, Gaara suddenly bursting with energy as his _chakra_ started bashing against the forests down.

"Shit," Taichi drew back as he had Seiryuu grabbed his teammates, drawing back. "What the hell? How could he have this kind of power?"

Gaara's body sunk back into the sand as Gaara howled in rage, striking down the landscape with madness. Trees fell as both parties were forced to retreat from the recurring destruction as the battle between the titans started to fall to an end. Gaara raged indiscriminately, swinging his sandy arms and throwing sand bullets. Taichi dragged his teammates out of the range as Gamabunta grabbed Naruto out of the way as a whirling tornado of slicing sand blades rushed towards them.

"Fucking little shit doesn't know when to give up," Mimi clucked her tongue in annoyance, inhaling deeply. "Katon; Housenka no Jutsu!" (Fire Element; Phoenix Flower technique)

Fireballs slammed into Gaara as the huge raccoon roared and raised its arm to defend itself from flying fireballs. Much to Gaara's surprise, Mimi had made the sand crystallize into glass as Taichi rushed in to shatter those areas, slashing off Gaara's arm. The glass shattered and let the arm explode into tiny specks of dust as Shukaku swung its arm towards Mimi, forcing the girl to jump out of the way. As Mimi fell back, Manyama drew out her scroll and transferred her chakra into it. The characters on the scroll began to glow as she snaked it out.

"_Uzami no Jutsu; Shinigami no Kinraiden,_" Manyama whirled around the scroll before extending it out on the ground, causing weapons to sprout out from the ground.

On the other hand, Izumi summoned petals as she closed her eyes before unleashing a complex set of seals. "Let the rose bloom for your untimely defeat, go - _Soubi no Kyuuden: Ikachigensouteki!_"

Red petals fired from behind her and swirled around Shukaku as it pelted against its hide, causing Shukaku to roar in complete rage. He swung his tail and squarely knocked her back and sent her plummeting all the way down to the forest floor. Her eyes widened as she tried to grab a branch with her rose whip only to slip completely and fall even faster. Closing her eyes, Izumi held her breath and waited for the impact but felt nothing. Slowly, she opened them and saw a black haired ninja with his eyes blazing red. Her heart pumped wildly as she found a familiar black haired red-eyed male holding her bridal style before helping her onto the branches.

"Are you alright," Sasuke placed her down.

Izumi found herself too stunned to say anything save wordlessly nod. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Th-thank you..."

Sasuke smirked as he turned his back on her. "Well, it's payment for fixing my wounds. You'd be excellent in the medic ninja field."

Izumi's eyes widened as Sasuke jumped away to rejoin the battle. Seeing her rose whip in hand, Izumi soon followed as she dodged the flying sand bullets in mid-air. Her lavender eyes then darted towards Gray as he continued dealing with Kankuro. She saw him wobbly move around his body clumsily slammed into one of the trunks of the trees. Her eyes widened as she changed direction and darted towards Gray while the puppet lunged at him with blades.

"Tch, poisoned knives," Izumi snaked her whip and yanked the puppet towards her before she sent it down with a spinning kick.

Meanwhile, Gaara's claws slammed on the ground and Taichi and Seiryuu launched their attack from above. Taichi's sword slashed away the sand but the arms just kept growing back and Naruto attacked full force with Gamabunta. Despite their summoned creatures making the size measurement more even, Taichi and Naruto found themselves slowly losing _chakra_ and tenacity while Gaara continued spouting off like a wildfire. Trees crashed down and Seiryuu took a brutal beating as the silver dragon crashed on the ground. Shukaku roared before grabbing Gamabunta's jaws and stretching them open, pulling his tongue out before throwing him aside. As the orange gargantuan toad fell to the ground, both _jinchuuriki_ could only stare, horrified at the damage Gaara had become capable of.

Taichi scowled darkly, clenching his fists. "Doesn't this guy ever get exhausted?"

Seiryuu narrowed its eyes dangerously, getting up to attack once more. "Perhaps we must force him to release his chakra instantaneously."

Taichi blinked several times, looking at Seiryuu. "How the heck do you do that?"

"I do not quite understand myself but I am in the process of making a plan," Seiryuu twitched its snout before letting out an annoyed snort, seeing a huge sand ball rushing their way. "Hold on Taichi!"

Gaara roared in his Shukaku form, swinging more sand cannonballs. "DIE! All of you!"

Seiryuu soared in the air, looking down at Gaara and observing his attack pattern. "There's a risk that you might get hurt. I know you're a big kid now, so make your own choice. Just make sure Gray's covered the other end. Sasuke, Sakura, Ino and the other sand siblings have low toleration to demon chakra."

The navy bluenette nodded, leaping off the huge silver dragon. "Seiryuu, keep Shukaku busy. I need to tell Gray the plan."

Letting out a compliant roar, Seiryuu charged towards the one tailed _bijuu_ and knocked it down with a body slam.

While Taichi and Naruto handled Gaara, Gray and Izumi got themselves caught in a deadlock with Kankuro's puppets. Gray could feel his head becoming more lightheaded as he struggled to stay standing, leaning against the trunk with Izumi trying to tend to him. She noticed Gray's emerald green eyes dulling considerably and his movements becoming clumsier as his hand limply dropped on the ground. Izumi, clucking her tongue, poured the salve as she kept Gray against the tree trunk.

"Darn, he used really potent stuff," Izumi bit her lower lip, watching the puppet dance in front of the trunk they were hiding behind."How are we gonna take him down at this rate?"

Gray crashed clumsily towards the branches and tried to clear his vision, biting his lower lip to keep his consciousness. "That thing is like red-light-green-light. It clatters a little before it rushes in to attack you. Before it can finally crush you, it lets out a crunching sound before slashing you into pieces. I would've beaten it long time ago if I hadn't taken a hit from one of those blades."

Izumi grinned lightly. "Think you can direct me?"

"Well, my sight sucks but I'm pretty sure my hearing can save us a bit of time," Gray chuckled with a mischievous smirk, closing his eyes. "Alright, wait for my signal. Stand right in front of Kankuro."

Izumi slowly emerged from behind the tree and stood in front of the exhausted puppeteer. Kankuro clearly had been pushed over his limit despite Gray taking a hit from the poisoned knives. Kankuro's puppets made a clattering sound as they rushed in to attack Izumi.

"I'm going to waste you," Kankuro swung his puppets and pulled its controlling string. "Go kill her, _Karasu_!"

Izumi inhaled deeply, looking at Gray who nodded weakly at her. She closed her eyes while hearing the clattering and whooshing sound of the puppet's cloak. She heard her heart pumping wildly as the darkness enveloped her vision, waiting for the loud crunching sound. As it closed in, a loud crunching sound reached her ears as she snapped her eyes open. Within a split second, Izumi dodged out of the way and _Karasu_ tumbled forward as Gray had let out an icy wind to freeze its limbs.

"Shit," Kankuro attempted to yank _Karasu_ back until Izumi's whip snaked around it. "No!"

The whip coiled around _Karasu _before crushing it and shattering it into pieces. Horrified, Kankuro prepared to run until Izumi had shot three aconite laced blades at him which pierced his legs and sent him falling down on the branch. His eyes widened as another roar reached his ears. Gaara howled psychotically before throwing sand shots, flinging them in every direction. Taichi, leaping and sailing over other branches, dropped down as he dodged the other sand shots. Hiding behind a tree trunk as another shot fired at him, Taichi then leapt to another tree trunk and found Gray breathing heavily and his face completely pale.

"Crap, what the hell happened to you," Taichi shook his head before getting back to the point, trying to prop up the coffee blonde male. "Do you think you can manage a few more battle rounds?"

"Blame the fucking puppet that decided to slash me," Gray chuckled weakly, feeling his body somewhat heating up. "Yeah, I can manage but I don't think I'll be much help in terms of physical distraction. Don't ask me to tank either. I can't even dodge a _kunai_ even if you threw it with your eyes shut."

"Taichi, he's in no condition to fight, you moron," Izumi pulled out more healing materials from her pouch before whacking Taichi on the head. "Gray took so many hits! He's not going to last if you force him to fight!"

"And I don't plan too," Taichi winced as another sand shot nearly pummelled them, forcing the bluenette to drag Gray away while Izumi leapt off along with them. "It's alright, but can you maintain your chakra?"

The coffee blonde male chuckled weakly as his hand limply lifted up to brush away a strand of hair from his face. "That I can do - I just need a lot of mental concentration and a boat load of water and ice if you want a shield. Why?"

Taichi smirked lightly, tapping Gray's shoulder. "I need you to hold up a huge ice shield good enough to shield Sakura, Sasuke and the others. Do you think you can do that?"

Gray nodded before looking around the forest, numbly lifting his body before slumping back on the ground. "That's like an ice pillar or imprisonment. I think I can manage. I just need a lot of snow or a lot of water."

"Do you think you can call for some?"

"Yeah I could if I had less of a migraine," Gray let out annoyed grunt, placing his hand over his wound before seeing blood on his hand and coming to a realization. "No but I think I can compromise."

He slashed his arm and blood hit the ground, causing Izumi to gawk at him. As the poison began seeping out of his wound, Gray closed his eyes and tried to control his ragged breathing. The blood shaped itself into an icicle and Gray's eyes became white with the Byakuggan as he started seeing the _chakra_ flowing out with his blood. A smirk appeared on his pale lips as he slammed his palm on the ground with a single handed _Jutsu_ seal.

"_Koori Teikoku no oShiro_," – breathing heavily, Gray unleashed whatever _chakra_ he had as the blood and water began to mix and crystallize.

Blood red pillars shot out from the ground and surrounded the other people much to everyone's surprise. Izumi let Gray lean on her for support as she continued treating his wounds, wiping the sweat from his face. Taichi saw the exhaustion in his partner's eyes as _Konohagakure_'s Jack Frost gestured to him.

"Go do whatever harebrained plan you've got."

Taichi nodded as he sprung up in the air towards Seiryuu, looking at his other teammates grab the other sand siblings. Mimi had dragged Kankuro by force before throwing him against the tree, effectively knocking him out. Temari, cornered by Manyama, swung her fan until the weapon specialist somersaulted over her and kicked her in the face. As Temari nearly fell off the tree and straight into the forest floor, Manyama grabbed her with her chain sickle before tying up the dirty blonde _kunoichi_'s unconscious body against the tree branch behind the ice palace.

As the navy bluenette got on Seiryuu, Taichi made one last glance before nodding at Seiryuu. "Everything's ready, Seiryuu."

Nodding in affirmation, the silver dragon reared back before inhaling a huge amount of air. "Good."

Taichi blinked at him incredulously, shaking and scratching his head quizzical. "What are you going to do, blow out some rocks? That's what I usually end up doing."

"Heh, you'll see."

One could only imagine how big Taichi's eyes became when dragon let out a huge white flame blasting Shukaku towards the ground, leaving the freed Gamabunta to crush him.

The white flame forcibly obliterated the sandy exterior as Gaara's body flung back all the way into the forest. The white flame however due to the concentrated energy, unleashed a huge shockwave and chunked out on Taichi's energy. As the navy bluenette had been thrown off, Seiryuu immediately grabbed Taichi before coiling around the boy to protect him from any flying debris. The shockwaves zoomed through the trees and shattered the trunks before slamming straight into the ice palace. Gray flinched in pain as the slamming shockwaves took tolls on his already weakened body. Seeing that her teammate was struggling with the defence, Manyama drew out another scroll and scribbled on it before spinning around.

"_Tetsu Houseki_." (Iron Jewel)

The scroll expanded itself until it reached the entire size of the palace dome and blocked and shredded everything else with its high whirling speed. Manyama winced at the level of concentration but taking a look at her poisoned teammate and the many people around her made her spin the scroll even faster than before. Soon, the palace had been enshrouded in a whirling defensive dome of weaponry. Fortunately, the shockwaves lost their former strength and allowed them to drop their defences a little. Gray managed to hold the palace and Manyama was able to maintain her concentration and Gaara collapsed. Seeing the damage done, Temari and Kankuro slipped away to find their brother on the ground completely exhausted with Naruto right in front of him. Sasuke, Sakura and the rest of Team Takagi and Ino had shown up to back him up just in case. However, Kankuro and Temari had dropped their weapons.

"We surrender."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

With _Sunagakure_ paying for half the indemnity for the damage caused by Gaara, the village slowly began rebuilding itself again despite the horrid damage from two different attackers. The rage of Shukaku and Orochimaru's infiltration had taken a chunk out of the villagers. Many of the ninjas split up along with some of the other village ninjas to help the citizen rebuild their lost lives. _Sunagakure _however stayed in order to discuss a new treaty while the rest of the ninjas were left to help the other people. Although the Chuunin exam had been interfered with, the council had already released the list of those who had passed the exam with their scores from both the fight and the written exam along with their average.

**1. Hyuuga, Neji* – 99.5, 97 = 98.25**

2. Uchiha, Sasuke – 98, 97.5 = 97.75

**3. Hyuuga, Gray* – 98, 97.30 = 97.65**

4. Aburame, Shino – 95, 95 = 95

5. Uchiha Mimi – 94.6, 92 = 93.3

**6. Temari* – 99, 83 = 91**

7. Nara, Shikamaru – 76, 100 = 88

8. Uzami, Manyama – 76, 98 = 87

9. Yamato, Taichi – 89, 79 = 84

**10. Kankuro* – 89, 72 – 80.5**

All the _Genin _gawked at the scores attained by the top three. Neji's name had been highlighted in bold with an asterisk followed by Gray's name, Temari's and Kankuro's. Everyone knew that Sasuke and Neji easily had the upper hand. Neji worked hard at many things and could easily work with his teammates while Sasuke came from the famous Uchiha clan. What surprised people more was Sasuke's name was not highlighted with an asterisk but only a few were selected.

The red haired Yamanaka hung her head shamefacedly, looking down. "Aww man, I'm number 12 after everything..."

Sasuke saw his name and didn't mind it but he looked at Izumi staring sadly at the results. He glanced at the results looking for her name until he found her at the early tens which didn't do too badly in comparison to Sakura and Ino. Izumi had proved to be more combat oriented than her cousin and probably a lot quicker in picking things up although he knew that she relied on Gray for offensive strategy planning. He remembered hearing rumours on how her red hair seemed to blaze when she had been angered. When he had left the hospital wing, Sasuke had seen the damage done on the sound ninja and him mumbling about some bright red haired flower girl.

"I wouldn't call that bad," Sasuke chuckled lightly as he leaned at her ear, softly brushing his lips against her ear. "You'll do better, I know it."

Upon hearing his voice, Izumi blushed madly and turned around only to see Sasuke walking away. Girls fumed as they glared at Izumi for having Sasuke to be so close to her. However, good thing they were glaring at her because they didn't know the softened expression Sasuke had on his face as he took one last glance at Izumi.

The other ninjas however had to be hospitalized like Gray and many other ninjas. Even though Izumi had applied an antidote, Gray still had a spiking fever and many of the medical ninjas found the detoxification process becoming more complex as it spread throughout his body. However, they managed to detoxify him but detained him for bed rest much to the coffee blonde's displeasure. The only thing that made it more comfortable was that Ino stayed with him and began helping out. Sakura had also joined in to check on her other teammate, bringing him a whole basket of food.

"I know hospital food's not that great so," Sakura placed the basket next to him on the table, smiling kindly. "Here you go. How are you feeling?"

"Thanks, and you're right – I'd take Taichi's microwave instant burritos any day. Although, I've been better," Gray raspily managed to respond as he glanced at all his bandages, chuckling humourlessly. "Well, I guess this is what I get for self-healing."

However, the door suddenly slammed open with a very pissed off Mimi standing by the door. Mimi gawked in astonishment, seeing the two girls staying with him. She cracked her knuckles with a furious twitch before running towards her brother and giving him a good flying kick in the face and sent him to the floor. Gray staggered back but Mimi grabbed him by his hospital gown before he had touched the ground.

"You fucking idiot, you're top 3," Mimi grabbed him by the collar and shook him roughly, struggling in strangling him. "HERE YOU WERE, BITCHING OFF THAT YOU FAILED WHEN YOU'RE IN THE TOP THREE AND SELECTED FOR JOUNIN! YOU FREAKIN' ASSHOLE, LET ME GET MY 92 TO DRY YOUR DAMN TEARS!"

"I didn't know I would score that high despite my ass getting kicked by a girl okay," Gray stared in shock at his crazy younger sister, completely exasperated.

Ino however had remained silent as she continued peeling apples for him. She had never seen the coffee blonde male up close but she remembered his first time in the academy. He looked so scrawny and barely looked like he had tasted good food in his life. His eyes had dulled considerably but now they would gleam brightly similar to shiny green leaves with morning dew. She remembered his combat prowess before and also recalled the many moments that the school had to suspend classes because of toilets flooding the place. He would cut classes most of the time and Iruka would usually drag him back. Kids bullied him for not being from _Konohagakure_ and having no parents and she remembered how he just smirked at them before walking away and mumbling something only to find the kids who had bullied them with dead rats dangling from their locker with their blood smeared.

"So Gray," Ino passed him the plate with skinned apples as she watched him munch on one. "Who's been taking care of you?"

Gray chuckled lightly, crunching on the apple. "My _sensei_ is also my adoptive father. He was the one who took me in after the ANBU had thrown me into some dungeon just because they thought I was a spy."

"Oh."

Sakura remained silent as she heard most of the story from her other companions. Gray had held up the entire fortress during the whole fight with Manyama fortifying the rest of the defence. She also heard that he had fought against Kankuro and Temari but finally managed to defeat them when his teammates appeared. Ino had explained half of what had happened after she had been suffocated by Gaara's sand hand. Despite her being there for Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura couldn't believe how useless she was. Naruto had proven himself time and time again that he was stronger than most people; fighting Gaara had been no easy task yet he was walking around as if nothing had happened and just fixing up the village as if it had suffered a huge earthquake.

Ino on the other hand had other thoughts.

Ino knew the Hyuuga coffee blonde male as the "illegitimate member of the Hyuuga clan", "an inkblot", "the Hyuuga reject" and many other names she refused to remember. She hated him for being such a trickster as there was a time he had tricked some of the other students to go into the girl's bathroom and take one of their underwear. Many people of the village hated him too for being the son of the famous _Konohagakure _Hyuuga Fox – Hyuuga Hikaru and blamed his mother and him for dragging away a very powerful asset. However, looking into his eyes made her think differently of him and the way he had fought to protect her. She hadn't expected him to push her out of the way and get clobbered by a light post! Ino touched her face arm, turning slightly pink as she remembered one of her injuries during the _Chuunin _exams.

"You're blood's going up to your head."

"Wh-what, don't be silly," Ino laughed lightly and shook herself away from her state before returning to peeling apples until she suddenly cut herself. "Ow! Damn it!"

Blood slowly oozed out of her hand and Gray quickly whipped up a little bit of water and washed off the blood. She looked at him in astonishment as he bandaged her hand with his scarf and little dark red spots stained the cloth but it was good enough to cover the wound. His hands glided smoothly as the water surrounded the wound with Sakura staring in astonishment at how quick he had cleaned the wound before wrapping it up.

Ino blinked several times at the speed of his healing. "Umm…Gray?"

"Yeah?"

Ino blushed lightly, seeing how the sun tinted his coffee blonde hair auburn. "Thanks. For saving me back there. Most of the time, my mind would go blank."

The coffee blonde's expression was stunned for a moment before it softened up into his more lax expression. "It's alright. That happens a lot especially if you're in a situation you're not familiar with."

She noticed the scar across his face; where did he get such a deep scar? With his healing ability, Gray could have completely wiped it off. The blonde Yamanaka _kunoichi _stared and spaced out for a few moments as the sunlight seemed to light up Gray's face with a gentle glow. She stretched out to touch until a hand grabbed her back and Gray had backed up. Her eyes widened when she saw Sakura holding onto her arm with Mimi and that Gray had immediately placed his hand on his scar.

"Where did that scar come from?"

Gray suddenly clammed up, averting his eyes away from her. "In accident, that's all."

Ino decided not to delve any further in spite of the fact she knew that he was lying. Gray's eyes suddenly lost their usual mischievous glint in his eyes as he remained quiet on the bed. Her eyes widened as she noticed that the bandages soaked up so much blood on his arm, wondering how many times she had changed it in the last thirty minutes.

She stood up, walking towards the door. "Hold on, I need to get you new bandages."

Gray looked at his left arm which was bleeding profusely despite the double wrapping of bandages on his arm. He then looked at his scratched up hand and his nearly shredded leg which he was able to heal despite the crazy damage he took from _Karasu_. Shaking his head, Gray groaned to himself; never fight a puppeteer like Kankuro ever again. As Ino left the room to leave Sakura to talk to Gray, she noticed how Gray slowly slouched and small tears had begun to escape from his eyes.

_I wonder what happened to him in the past?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As soon as the whole village had gotten fixed up, the ninjas held the funeral of their dearly beloved _Hokage_ on the roof. Each of the _Genin_ held a white lily in their hand as they looked at the coffin that contained the body of their leader. With everyone dressed in black, the white lilies had stood out. One by one, they had brought their lilies forward. Taichi stepped forward first and placed the white lily on the black table. He remembered how the old man supported him to keep pushing forward no matter what. As a young boy, Taichi remembered how the old man constantly visited him when the Yamato clan had abandoned him for the sake of wealth and power.

"Good bye old man," Taichi bitterly smiled, placing the lily on the altar. "I hope you find your way to Heaven."

Mimi bit her lower lip as she walked forward after Taichi, holding onto her lily. She remembered how the third _Hokage_ had fought for her freedom from her former adoptive parent, clenching the lily tightly. The female Uchiha remained silent as she recalled the other memories of the _Hokage_ helping her along to Takagi with Gray as they were introduced to a better home. In fact, he was the one who gently helped her with her psychology sessions when her tantrums had flown out of control. Nobody could handle her easily triggered tantrums and attacks at that time.

"You were one heck of an old man," Mimi chuckled lightly before dropping her lily on the table, walking away and hiding her eyes. "When you get to heaven, say hi to my family for me – will ya?"

Aburame Shino placed his after the female Uchiha _kunoichi_, remembering how the _Hokage _had made a huge impact in their lives. The old man had frequented the Aburame clan house to take a light stroll near the gardens and always told them how he admired their way of treating the butterflies. The old man had made him feel important when no one wanted to come near him. Most people would be disgusted by the bugs and whether or not his sincerity was true, Shino felt that a whole part of his soul had been ripped out. The old man, being the _Hokage_, did light up everybody's hearts.

"Rest in peace, _Hokage-sama_," Shino bowed before returning to his place.

Hinata meekly walked up to the altar, looking at the picture of the _Hokage_ placed on the altar. She clutched the stem of the lily tightly upon remembering the days he had spoken to the Hyuuga clan. She remembered how gentle he was while he waited for her father to come back from a meeting. They spoke together and helped her make a hot pot of tea since she had been too short at that time. Hinata remembered how it was like to lose her mother and gain a brother in return. She remembered how he often helped her and Neji try to understand the decision of the elders even if it had been completely wrong and also the day he had brought Gray to the Hyuuga clan. He always had a kind smile on his face despite the many troubles of being the _Hokage_.

"Good bye, _Hokage-sama_," Hinata bowed courteously before leaving the altar.

Neji had placed his lily right after Hinata while looking at the altar. He shook his head as tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. The days the _Hokage_ had spent with them in the Hyuuga clan were timeless especially when helping them adjust to Gray's presence. He remembered how the coffee blonde boy seemed to be devoid of all emotion and barely ate, slept or played like normal children. His combat skills however rivalled that of a _Chuunin_ back then and Neji remembered how jealous he had become of Gray who seemingly had been taken in by the Main House. He remembered how Hinata's mother had defended him which really made him cringe but now, he understood why. He understood what the Will of Fire really meant.

"Thank you, _Hokage-sama_ for teaching me everything you knew," Neji smiled softly while walking away.

Manyama stood quietly by the altar with her lily before placing it down. The Uzami clan, although it had been constantly bugged by the other villages to form an alliance with them, she knew that the _Hokage_ had protected them even if it meant her deviating from the alchemist path that her family had wanted for her. He made her adjustment easy in _Konohagakure_ and made sure everything had been settled and always checked on her to see if she wanted to go see her family again in the Land of Iron. The weapon specialist smiled as she held onto the book that he had given her, hanging her head in respect.

"I swear on the clan of the Uzami – I won't fail you," Manyama determinedly glanced at his portrait before letting Sakura place hers next.

Sakura glanced at Ino before looking back at the altar. She remembered how the _Hokage_ would constantly talk to her about her self-esteem issues whenever he had been strolling around in her hiding place long ago. She remembered that he was the one who introduced her also to Sasuke when the boy had been newly orphaned. Sasuke seemed to have become more cold and aloof unlike before. She remembered seeing Sasuke before his clan had been murdered and he had been proved to be affable. She saw what the _Hokage_ had been trying to do all this time with Sasuke. To make the village become his family and hopefully, curve him away from his path of vengeance – Sakura knew she had to be the one to stop Sasuke now.

"I'll do my best," Sakura nodded firmly as she placed the lily.

Gray stood right in front of the altar with his lily in hand before using the rain to freeze into another lily clone. His emerald eyes gazed down at the soaking wet altar while he remembered the time the _Hokage_ had spoken to him after he was found exhausted and famished in the dungeons of _Konohagakure_. The ANBU had taken him as he remembered the commander of the squad that imprisoned him along with an Uchiha brunette. After that, the _Hokage_ had immediately scoured the entire dungeon only to find him and Mimi in it and had gently led them out of the darkness. While Mimi had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in a more active view, Gray had shut himself according to the psychologist tending to him. However, the _Hokage_ had introduced Takagi to him and had also been speaking with him to open his heart. When they found out he was from the Hyuuga clan, he had brought him to his family and demanded they accept him as one of their own.

"Thank you for giving me a family even if it's not perfect," Gray chuckled darkly, placing both the ice lily and the lily on the altar. "I'll cherish them with everything I have."

As many others continued to give, Sasuke found himself feeling sad for the death of the _Hokage. _The man had tried to help him adjust and always teased him, loved him and protected him more than his father ever did when he was alive. The male Uchiha remembered the many times he had to be prodded to go to school after the massacre and it was always the _Hokage_ who had pushed him to go and make friends.

But no one was affected as Naruto.

Naruto had begun to cry at the sight of the old man's coffin. He had been lonely all his life and the _Hokage_ always was there to pull him out of his slump. Despite his so-called seriousness as the _Hokage_, _Sandaime_ at times had helped him pull pranks by turning a blind eye to whatever Naruto was doing or distracting the others as Naruto put his thing to play. At times, both of them had some sense of perversion as well even going as far as to help him develop the _Oiroke no Jutsu_. The blonde ninja quietly placed the lily before walking away and returning back his team.

The skies had never been so dreary that day.

**That's chapter 28! Hope you like it! Please review!**


	29. Left By Choice

**(I don't own Naruto!)**

Chapter 29 – Being Left to Choose

_Sandaime_'s death had affected many people. Many of the villagers had lost heart while the council had been preparing to seek out a new _Hokage _as quickly as possible. Ninjas continued on with their daily lives as Sasuke started walking around in his hospital room. He winced at the pain his body suffered and at least he had been allowed to attend the funeral despite the damage done to his body. Kakashi had brought Sasuke to the hospital after their horrid encounter with the Sand Siblings followed up by the _Akatsuki_. Sasuke fumed in hatred upon remembering how easily his brother had grabbed him by his neck and slammed him against the wall. He remembered facing Gaara early on out and remembered how powerful he was. Sasuke couldn't believe it and also with Naruto, who supposedly was a failure, managed to beat the living daylights of someone so powerful. Why? No matter how much power he tapped into, Gaara had easily swat him away as if he had become some insignificant fly.

_Why can't I be more powerful!?_

Sasuke pondered deeply and contemplatively as he looked out the window, seeing the other people training. He hissed in annoyance and slammed his fist against the window sill, snarling darkly as his _chakra_ began to spike. He saw Naruto practicing his _Taijutsu_ with Taichi, watching him laugh and fool around while getting some training in. Sakura and Ino started chatting away as well as Ino started crossing notes Sakura while the other ninjas had begun to join them. Sasuke, scowling darkly, averted his eyes from the scene as he sat on his bed in pure annoyance.

_How did they get so strong that fast!?_

Seeing that this was going no where, Sasuke snorted in annoyance until his hand felt the cursed seal. His eyes widened as he looked in the mirror and found the cursed seal's subjugation gone from circle. He remembered the feel of the power rushing through his veins when he fought Gaara. He had easily taken down the other ninjas as well as they stood in his way. He chuckled lightly upon remembering the time he had broken the arms of the _Otogakure_ ninja. A slow smile appeared on his lips as his eyes widened with pleasure, feeling the adrenaline and the other _chakra_ screaming through his body. His body shuddered violently as bodily fluids started dripping down his back and the cursed seal began to glow.

_Why didn't I do this before? What's holding me back?_

As the cursed seal started to activate, something started yanking him back. Sasuke found himself sitting in the darkness when memories started flashing before him. His constant petty fights with Naruto, his quarrels with Gray and having Sakura agree with him all the time and everything else. The memories he had with Team Takagi, his memories with his family and many others started flashing before him until he found a bright light revealing a crimson haired Yamanaka female smiling at him gently. Sasuke's hand unconsciously began to trace his wounds as he remembered how smooth and how gentle her hands glided over his wounds. Her smile and her kind lavender eyes burned itself into his memory as tears started to fall from his eyes. His hand started to reach out for her and he began walking towards her image. Was the power worth losing all this?

"Foolish, you can barely protect those memories if you don't have the power!"

Upon hearing the voice, Sasuke immediately spun around and found a younger version of himself standing there, crying.

"Why? Why couldn't I save them? What's wrong with me?"

Startled, Sasuke shook his head with angry gaze. "I'm different now! There's nothing that's going to stop me!"

However, his younger self suddenly smiled psychotically as his eyes became more serpentine. "If you truly wish to have the power you need, come to me. Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke suddenly felt the adrenaline rush as a huge maniacal grin started curving up his lips. The former seal that Kakashi had put to curb his desires for power had broken off and his memories started to warp away as a bigger darkness began to engulf him. His eyes widened at the fresh new adrenaline absorbing him as he couldn't contain the excitement running through his veins. A chance at power and a chance to finally kill the man who had destroyed him and his family appeared right before him. It was now or never! He remembered the day Itachi had glared at him with his bright red eyes when he had cornered him and Naruto. Though it was only a few days ago, Sasuke couldn't help but be frustrated at the progress the others had made. Wiping away the images, Sasuke decided to pursue Orochimaru, but first, he had to take care of some things.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Naruto and the others were outside in the training area, simply hanging out or training. Neji had begun training Hinata with Gray, upon seeing the determination of the heiress. Despite the objections of the Hyuuga council, Hiashi dismissed them and had Gray adopted into the family despite his "weirdly" coloured hair and eyes. Upon seeing him, Hiashi's father literally blew up until Neji and Hinata stood up for their cousin and refused to let him leave and forced the clan to allow Gray to stay the night. On the other side, Lee was trying to woo Sakura but to no avail. The pink haired _kunoichi _would have none of it and found herself staring at now the topless coffee blonde male which Mimi had kicked for stripping off his hoodie again due to his insistence of it being "too hot". Ino on the other hand hounded Chouji for his potato chips to prevent him from eating while Shikamaru continued to watch the clouds drift by. Kiba was playing with Akamaru and Ten-Ten and Manyama were switching notes on how to shoot _kunai_ and _shurikens_ more accurately and creating _Jutsu_ with weaponry. However, nobody noticed that Naruto and Taichi had begun working on a technique due to Jiraiya teaching Naruto something that he was forced to learn in a week. However, Mimi sensed that there was something foul in the air as the leaf in her hand suddenly burned. Blinking several times, the female Uchiha _kunoichi_ glanced around to see nothing.

"Tch, what the hell's going on? I feel like some thing's gonna crop out straight out someone's ass," Mimi scowled as she began looking around. "By the way, where's cockatoo head? He's supposed to be here with us."

Then, she saw someone get out of one of the hospital windows. Her eyes widened before narrowing dangerously into slits with her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_ activating. Sasuke leapt out of the window and started to move away. What did he want to do now?

"You know, for someone who's supposedly the champion – he's pretty stupid," Mimi cracked her neck and knuckles, loosening herself up. "Looks like the major ass wipe decided to make his move."

"I guess you picked it up too?"

Mimi swivelled around and found Gray standing next o her with his _Byakuggan _activated, folding his arms with his eyes following Sasuke's movement.

"Do you think we should grab him and tie him to a post so he won't get out," Mimi grinned sardonically, blowing her nails. "I know where to buy industrial grade rope for a pretty good price and making chloroform isn't hard."

Gray chuckled lightly and ruffled his younger step sister's hair, shaking his head. "I don't think tying him to a post will help but I'm sure chasing will. We better move before anyone notices."

Gray vanished while Mimi let out a disgruntled snort, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "I can't believe I'm doing this - chasing after Mr. High and Mighty Uchiha Sasuke!"

As the two vanished, nobody had noticed that two ninjas from Team Takagi had vanished.

Sasuke finally managed to lose track of the medical ninjas who had been chasing him around. He found himself surrounded by laundry and wet shirts as the wind caused them to billow near his face. The fresh air gently brushed his cheeks as a small smirk appeared on his lips. He heard two _whoosh_ sounds while continuing to remain unfazed and watching the clouds drift by.

Sasuke chuckled in amusement, smirking darkly. "I didn't know you'd see me from that far a distance."

Mimi and Gray stood behind him with a narrow glare as he turned around to see his cousin and rival standing before him. "Oh yeah, I forgot the reject's half-Hyuuga."

Gray chuckled devilishly as his hand started slowly made its way to his water jug, twitching slightly. "You better watch what you're saying. This reject may be the one to kick your ass."

Sasuke continued to smirk evilly while Mimi cracked her knuckles with a sardonic grin, flipping her hair back. "When you left the building, the stench of your stupidity infused in the air and gave me a signal, moron. Your _chakra_'s different – it's like you decided to douse yourself in meth juice and pot crap!"

The male Uchiha rolled his eyes at his cousin's bravado, sneering at them mockingly. "Do you actually think both of you can beat me?"

Gray chuckled darkly as his hand started pulling out the water from the jug. "Cocky aren't we? Heh, you don't know true terror yet."

Mimi however placed her arm in front of him, shaking her head. "No, he's my ass-wipe cousin. I gotta be the one to shut this douche bag up. Sorry Gray – it's my fight."

Mimi ran towards him with her _Sharingan_ activated, swinging her leg for a kick. Sasuke ducked before preparing to uppercut her and forced Mimi to tumble away but not before sweeping him off his feet. As the male Uchiha crashed on the ground, he grit his teeth in annoyance as Mimi sprung away from the wall for more speed with her kick aiming straight in his face and bending him back over. Sasuke seethed in rage; how did his female cousin learn how to fight with that kind of speed and power? He clenched his hands into a fist as he lunged at her with locking in his right fist into her jaw. As the Uchiha _kunoichi_ flipped away, Sasuke charged after her with a barrage of more punches until black flames started crashing towards him.

"_Amaterasu: Hyakkokuchou Yakou_!" (Shining Heaven: Night Parade of a Hundred Black Swans)

Sasuke's eyes widened as he remembered his brother using _Amaterasu_ but he never knew the concept of combining it with two different attacks. The black flames rushed forward towards him and morphed into darting swans, crashing against his body. As he flew back, Sasuke let out a grunt before pushing himself to fight back. Mimi easily dodged and swung over as her legs kicked him right under his jaw and sent him staggering backwards. As he fell to the ground, Sasuke slammed his fist against the concrete in a fit of rage.

_Damn it, even she's over powering me! I need more power!_

With the cursed seal roaring with power, Sasuke felt his _Sharingan _become more powerful than ever as he launched himself at Mimi with monstrous speed. Mimi easily bent back as she watched in admonishment Sasuke bounce off from the walls. Twisting her body in mid-air, she dodged Sasuke's other lunging attempt before easily landing on the ground and unleashing a huge fireball. Sasuke immediately leapt away and reappeared right in front of her with his _Sharingan_ making direct contact. Shutting her eyes, Mimi cart-wheeled away and used a sliding kick to knock him over. The two Sharingan wielders continued trading blows as Mimi and Sasuke released a fireball at the same time. As the explosions from their attacks became louder, Gray continued to keep watch in case other ninjas started to interfere. However, it became harder when Sasuke and Mimi started changing venues with Gray forcing himself to jump after her. Despite the injuries, Sasuke fared pretty well with a kick knocking down Mimi in her gut and sent her keeling over. As she doubled over, Sasuke jumped back and started gathering enough _chakra _that seemed to be twittering and chirping. Her eyes widened as Sasuke rushed towards her with full killing intent as she froze on the spot. Where did he get that kind of technique? She shut her eyes tightly and waited for the impact.

But none came.

As she slowly opened her eyes, Gray had spun around and with lucky timing – knocked down Sasuke. As Sasuke flew back, Gray ripped off the bandages that prevented his arm from bleeding as blood began to freeze. Sasuke's eyes widened as spears started to form from the water and blood mixture with Gray taking a new position.

"_Iga Wa Ryou no Hyouketsu: Soukyoka,_" Gray swung his arm and unleashed a full volley of spears, impaling the wall while some pinned Sasuke's shirt.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, smirking devilishly. "I'm impressed. You managed to find a compromise for your ice techniques. Instead of water, you used your own blood."

Gray relaxed his stance a little as he refused to tear his eyes away from his opponent. "Hn, a trickster should never run out of tricks."

Sasuke blinked several times as the other spears that had shattered against the wall suddenly floated up. Sasuke's eyes widened as they changed into bloody red needles. His eyes widened upon remembering the time he fought Haku as Gray had a triumphant trickster smirk on his face.

Gray snapped his fingers, causing the needles to point at him. "_Hijutsu: Sensatsu Akasuisho_!" (Secret Art: Thousand Killing Red Crystals)

His eyes widened with fear as he saw the needles crashing towards him. No, he was not going to let himself get defeated by some idiot who just showed up on a doorstep one day! His _Sharingan_ swirled faster than ever as _chakra_ suddenly exploded from his body, shattering the crystals. The female Uchiha gawked in admonishment – Gray's technique had already been reinforced with _chakra_ and his blood but how did he manage to shatter them all as if they were nothing? Mimi then noticed the black marks appearing on his skin as Gray stared in shock before shielding Mimi from the flying shattered shards. Shards of ice rained down like a storm of needles and Sasuke managed to dodge most of it though some got snagged on to his shirt and shorts. Seeing that they were distracted, Sasuke took the opportunity to escape. Mimi and Gray were not his main targets.

"Shit, he escaped," Mimi kicked one of the shards on the ground with a snort. "What now?"

"I don't quite know but," Gray shuddered upon remembering the _chakra_ that knocked him down. "That _chakra _is never good news."

Sasuke hid in the alleys and saw Naruto at the training area. Knowing a fox's trait, the animal was a very curious creature. Chuckling lightly, Sasuke shook his head at his teammate. This was just too easy! He knew Naruto had some horrible sense of curiosity which always got him into trouble. With his _Sharingan_ activated, the male Uchiha slowly crept closer and unveiled his eyes from behind the bushes. He smirked before laying down the note on the ground and vanishing. Naruto on the other hand rushed to the bushes and drove it aside only to find a note on the ground.

_Meet me at the highest building. We have a score to settle._

_-Uchiha Sasuke_

Naruto looked at the note queerly but grinned in delight. He never turned down a fight and especially if it's under Sasuke's request! He's been waiting for the day to kick Sasuke's ass. Ever since the academy days, Sasuke had always looked down on him and mocked him for trying to become great. With a huge grin on his face, Naruto quickly left and headed towards the building where Sasuke was waiting. Naruto however had one question bugging him – what exactly pushed Sasuke to fight him now? They've never really fought each other in an all-out battle but their usual boyish brawls. The hyperactive blonde ninja pondered deeply but came up with nothing.

Finally, Naruto and Sasuke came face to face and the Uchiha's Sharingan was activated. Naruto just stared at him and sweat slowly trickled down their face as his heart began to pound hard against his chest. He noticed that there was something a little off with Sasuke as he looked straight into the Uchiha's eyes. Sasuke maintained a stolid expression as his hands curled up into fists and his normal aloof expression suddenly revealed a maniacal smirk.

Naruto bit his lower lip anxiously. "So, this is it."

Sasuke smirked, chuckling humourlessly. "Yeah, it sure is."

The wind howled ominously at the leaves started to flutter around with the hanging laundry billowing in the wind. Naruto clenched his fist tightly as he adjusted his forehead guard, looking at Sasuke.

Naruto narrowed his eyes darkly, preparing to fight. "Why don't you wear your forehead guard? It shows we're fighting as ninjas."

Sasuke smirked and pointed to his forehead with an arrogant snort. "I don't need that crap. I bet you won't even strike my forehead."

Enraged and without any hesitation, Naruto charged towards him activated the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ (Shadow Clone technique). Upon seeing the multiple clones rushing towards him, Sasuke instead saw multiple _chakra_ balls rushing towards him. As his _Sharingan_ intensified, Sasuke easily took them down one by one with punches and kicks. Despite it, Sasuke had his jaw punched by Naruto as he kicked him away to put more distance before throwing another group of _shuriken_ at him. As Naruto skidded to dodge the flying _Shuriken_, the blonde ninja once again rushed him down with a couple of punches and kicks.

_This has to end! Now!_

Naruto bit his lower lip upon remembering the first time he had used the _Rasengan_ against someone. He had never expected himself to use it against his own friend but the hyperactive blonde knew he had no other choice. Sasuke had already started unleashing fireballs straight into his face and all he could do was run around and swarm him with more clones. His eyes widened more when he found Sasuke charging up with electricity. Biting his lower lip, Naruto immediately summoned a clone and began gathering _chakra_ in his palm.

"Sasuke-_kun_, Naruto," Sakura slammed the door open all of a sudden and noticed the two getting ready to kill each other; her eyes widened as she leapt in to stop them. "Stop it!"

Both boys had forgotten that one of their teammates was going to run in between them. By the time they noticed, Kakashi had suddenly appeared and shoved both Naruto and Sasuke apart before their blows made contact.

"Shit," Sasuke rolled away as Naruto slammed back first against the wall.

Sasuke saw Kakashi now standing in front of him, glaring darkly at his pupil. But his eyes held no hatred. He noticed the disappointment in Kakashi's eyes and faced away but not before standing up and glaring holes at him. He bit his lower lip as he remembered seeing that huge blast that Naruto had managed to conjure out of nowhere. Nobody had told him Naruto had that kind of power! He scowled darkly, facing away before vanishing.

"Sasuke-_kun_, wait!"

As Sasuke's figure vanished, Sakura jumped forward to pursue him until Kakashi raised his arm to block her. "Let him go. He's made his choice."

Sakura, fighting back her tears, struggled to maintain her composure. "B-But _sensei_...!"

Kakashi shook his head firmly at her, looking at his fallen pupil before vanishing. "You take care of Naruto. I have to meet up with somebody."

As Kakashi vanished, Sakura immediately ran to Naruto's aid as members of Team Takagi along with their instructor appeared. Taichi whistled in surprise at the mess while Gray started immediately looking for Sasuke using his _Byakuggan_. Mimi scowled deeply as she sniffed the smell of smoke burning from the ground and the singed laundry. Izumi stared in horror as her body shivered fearfully from the intensity of the flames. She noticed the _chakra_ surrounding the area had become heavier as her body seemed to sink to the ground.

Manyama whistled lightly, scanning the area. "Whoo, someone decided to go wonky. What did we miss?"

Takagi faintly heard Sasuke's movements, feeling the malice in the air and glanced at the three power houses. "Mimi, Gray, Taichi, go after Sasuke. Make sure you don't lose track of him."

"I knew he was gonna do something stupid," Mimi snickered darkly, cracking her knuckles. "It's show time!"

Inhaling deeply, Gray glanced at his two partners and nodded at them before vanishing to track down Sasuke.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mimi scowled deeply as she leapt from building to building, looking from the highest point to look for her cousin. She knew he had some insane obsession with power but she didn't expect him to fly out of hand so early in the game. She and Sasuke may have had their differences but he started becoming more affable as the missions continued. In fact, she had gone from trying to kill him from simply bad-mouthing him due to wanting to get a good fight out of him. When she fought him back there, Mimi couldn't fight back the sudden urge to shudder violently at the malicious _chakra_ burning out of his body. She remembered the huge aura that had seized her during the preliminary parts of the _Chuunin _exam; could that guy have also gotten to Sasuke? If so, that definitely explained a lot.

Taichi growled in annoyance, reappearing next to Mimi. "This guy is totally pissing me off. He keeps running around!"

Gray chuckled dryly with his usual trickster smirk, landing right next to Mimi inaudibly. "You expect him to sit around and shout 'I'm over here' don't you?"

Taichi snorted in annoyance and Mimi rolling her eyes sarcastically. "Though I may say he's an ass, you're a bigger idiot than he is you know. At least he knows how to disguise his tracks..."

"Hey!"

Gray snapped sharply, causing the two to look at him attentively. "Enough! We're not here to fight each other; we're here to pursue Sasuke! Alright, since sitting here and getting a bird's eye view isn't helping – we'll have to split up and cover more ground. I'll take the eastern side of _Konohagakure_. Mimi, check the Uchiha manor. As much as you don't like it, try to find anything that would lead Sasuke to Orochimaru and find out where his destination is. Taichi, use your sense of smell. Seiryuu should be able to pick up Sasuke's scent in no time."

As the two sprinted off, Gray headed towards the eastern area with his _Byakuggan _activated. He immediately began trying to identify the _chakra_ until his feet suddenly brought him in front of the Hyuuga complex. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the huge complex area before preparing to walk away.

"Gray."

Swivelling his head up, he found Hiashi standing in front of him and immediately resorted to his polite stance. "Hiashi-_sama_, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Hiashi frowned slightly, keeping his arms folded. "Gray, you don't have to be that formal."

"Even as family, I am simply from the Branch House. Again, I would like to repeat: to what do I owe this pleasure," Gray felt his patience wearing thin but kept his composure while constantly looking for traces of Sasuke's _chakra_. _Tch, that kid really knows how to hide._

Hiashi sighed deeply, pulling out something from his pocket. "When you returned here into the village, someone had dropped this off for you. I do not know who that person is or was. But I definitely know it was a she..."

"A she," Gray raised an eyebrow as he took the wrapped parcel, slowly unwrapping it until he found an ice imbued blade. "Wait this is...!"

"It seems you recognize it but unfortunately, I cannot tell you what it is for even I do not know what it is," Hiashi smiled sadly, turning away. "You and Neji are the memento of my two younger brothers that I have failed to protect. Hikaru was very special to my mother and I. Hiazashi would have said the same if he had not sacrificed his life for me."

Gray nodded slowly as he looked at the blade carefully, bowing humbly. "Thank you; I will treasure this blade always."

Suddenly, the blade began to hum a low sound as words started to appear on it.

_Не забудькто вы есть_

(Do not forget who you are)

His eyes widened and noticed the strange characters, letting his fingers glide gently across it. Where had he seen those words before? Closing his eyes, he remembered the times he spent in the wave country and remembered his mother speaking in another distinct language. It was definitely not amongst the natives. The word sounded more out of this world and in fact, many people had called it some bewitchment speak.

"Ne zabud'kto vy yest'," Gray read carefully as realization shot through him like a bullet; how did he know how to read this language if he never consciously encountered it before? "This blade was my..."

Before he could say anything, Hiashi had already returned inside the complex. Sighing deeply to himself, the trickster immediately left the area while extending his _Byakuggan_'s range. Disgusted with how he couldn't find him, Gray started searching deeper into the areas until he found himself bumping into Mimi.

"Found him yet," Mimi scowled darkly, kicking a pebble aside.

Before Gray could say anything, a deep rumble reached them with a malicious intent. Gray and Mimi's eyes widened as they heard a loud explosion following shortly after with Taichi rolling on the ground. Their eyes widened as Gray and Mimi leapt into the fray and stood in front of Taichi, only to see a maliciously grinning Sasuke with _chakra_ seeping out of his sides. Gray's eyes widened as he tried focusing the _Byakuggan _to understand the flow of his _chakra_ but barely could see it.

"Shit, he has so much _chakra_," Gray scowled darkly before staring in astonishment, looking at the darkened Uchiha walking towards him. "I can't detect the flow or anything! It's spiking all over the place!"

Taichi looked around, seeing many houses. "Dude, I know I'm destruction crazy but we gotta bring this fight out! Fast!"

Mimi nodded vigorously, seeing movement behind the windows. "This place is too crowded, someone could get hurt!"

Gray darkly stared at him, glaring deathly at his former colleague. "He did that on purpose because we're known for heavy property destruction. Now that there is a higher possibility of casualties, we will be forced to take responsibility if we don't control it."

Sasuke applauded mockingly with a smirk. "Very good, reject. It seems like we're on the same page."

Gray glanced at Taichi with a nod before turning to Mimi. "Get the bystanders out of here, Mimi and I will take this guy down. Your powers are more defensive than offensive."

Taichi pouted with a snort, folding his arms impishly. "Aww man, not even one hit?"

"Taichi, I know you. You're gonna go bonkers the minute he calls you dust for brains," Gray rolled his eyes sarcastically before gesturing behind him, taking his battle stance. "Besides, between the three of us – his _chakra_'s no match for yours. We're gonna wear him down a bit. You go get the people out of here when things start to get ugly."

With a defeated snort, Taichi left reluctantly. "Fine but you better leave in a few hits for me!"

"We will," Gray waved his hand dismissively, freezing up the water from his water jug.

"No fucking shit we're gonna make short work of him," Mimi grinned sardonically and preparing to perform a whole set of _Jutsu_ seals. "You ready to get fried?"

Sasuke chuckled darkly as his powers started shooting. "What makes you think they're gonna believe some psychopaths like you? You were sent to an asylum and you were in dungeon pitied by the _Hokage_! What place do you have here?"

Mimi flared as she immediately began putting the _Jutsu_ together. "Oh you're gonna get it you little fucktard – _Katon: Housenka no Jutsu_!"

As a huge wide arc of flaming flowers shot at him, Sasuke just wheeled himself away before dashing straight into his female cousin with a blade straight out to impale her. Before he could close the gap, Gray knocked him over with a sliding scissor kick. With an annoyed snort, Sasuke jumped up and grabbed Gray by his hoodie and flung him with an insane monstrous strength towards Mimi who leapt over him to unleash a huge fireball. Sasuke chuckled darkly as he easily manoeuvred himself past the fireball before kicking Mimi straight into the gut. The female Uchiha slammed into the barrels and prompted Sasuke to go attack her until he felt a cold wind brush against his skin.

"What the," Sasuke's eyes widened as Gray held out a blade in one hand as it began to glow with the Hyuuga male's eyes glimmering with some frost-like vengeance. "What the...?"

"_Ukus v morozil'nuyu zimniy_," Gray hissed before stabbing the blade into the ground. "Marzanna*!"

Sasuke's ice widened as a young woman emerged from the ice with the ground cracking with many crystals spearing out of the ground. Mimi gawked at the new language that Gray suddenly started speaking. Where the heck did that come from? Gray had never shown any particular interest in crazy new languages and certainly he didn't show any signs of bothering to learn it. She quickly ran through her memory banks if they had picked up anything back at the asylum but the people there never bothered teaching them so where had he started speaking a new language? Winter started coming in early as snowflakes started to fall and the skies darkened and became grey.

Sasuke chuckled in amusement before his face contorted into a maniacal rage. "WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GET THAT?"

Gray remained extremely silent as Sasuke charged him down. Blow after blow, Gray dodged it and managed to zip past Sasuke without difficulty as a blast of _chakra_ knocked him over. Furious, Sasuke chased after Gray as the Hyuuga male unleashed his _chakra_ control to climb up the wall and let Sasuke slam into it before kicking him. Throwing another punch, Sasuke threw punches one after the other while Gray seemed to glide as his foot began freezing the floor and whatever it touched. The young woman howled with an icicle fury, freezing Sasuke before grabbing him and lifting him into the air. He kicked himself away as the angel flew towards Sasuke who quickly dodged it

"Hey you, you stupid ass wipe," Mimi leapt up in the air, preparing to unleash a fireball. "You didn't forget about me did you?"

Sasuke spun around with a darkened sneer, preparing to kick her down. "I couldn't forget you even if I tried!"

Without any warning, the ice woman blasted a huge wave of icy dust and knocked Sasuke against the wall. More crystals started to appear as he found himself completely frozen against the wall.

Mimi stared in astonishment as the woman grabbed Sasuke from behind. "What the hell is she doing!?"

She looked up and saw Marzanna, Gray's summoned spirit or whatever she thought it was, floating right in front of her cousin with her fingers in a position to snap. Her eyes widened when Gray started mimicking her actions with the eyes she remembered seeing long time ago.

Soulless.

Non-existent.

Cold.

Heartless.

The eyes of a killer.

Gray snapped his fingers without any hesitation, with cold and unfeeling eyes. "Diamond Dust!"

With a snap of his fingers, the stalagmites shattered instantly as ice shards began to swirl around Sasuke. The male Uchiha's eyes widened as the ice shards began slashing through his clothes as the shards converged towards him and began cutting deeper and deeper. Mimi stared in amazement as Sasuke took the beating and Gray refused to let up. She stood, completely frozen whether or not to stop her brother from shooting the daylights out of her few remaining relatives even if Sasuke had gone psychotic on her.

"Damn, now I have two relatives going bonkers – hm, but I'd choose Gray any day," Mimi prepared to unleash a full powered _Housenka _barrage. "Alright – here it goes!"

On the other hand, Sasuke stared in horror as his rival immediately surpassed him without even trying. With a single artifact, Gray had managed to turn the tides of the fight very quickly. He snarled in fury and frustration; why did people keep on becoming stronger when he barely had anything?

"ENOUGH," Sasuke unleashed the full power of the cursed seal as it started covering his body.

Gray snapped out of his trance as Marzanna suddenly disappeared with a powerful _chakra_ shockwave slamming into him. "Shit!"

Without any time to react, Gray felt the shockwaves slam into his body and sent him plummeting towards the ground until someone slid under and caught him. Seeing the huge power shift in Sasuke, Taichi instantly began activating his own _chakra_ seeing how wasted his partner was. With a draconic roar, Taichi lunged at Sasuke with his claws and his eyes turning green. The male Uchiha planned on kicking him until Taichi twisted his body in mid-air and knocked down Sasuke into a pile of garbage before unleashing huge stones converging to crush Sasuke. The purple _chakra_ surrounding Sasuke howled and smashed the rocks and gave Sasuke a huge boost as the male Uchiha zoomed towards Taichi and threw punches at him with explosive sounds. Mimi, feeling the malice pouring out of his body, winced slightly as she began gathering her own power into her _Mangenkyou Sharingan_. A huge black flame shot out as Mimi winced at the strain and stretch of her _chakra_.

"Tch," Mimi ran forward to grab him as he Vanished once again, leaving the three of them astounded by his power. "FUCKING HELL, DID HE HAVE TO RUN AWAY AGAIN!?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As night fell, the stars glistened as a male Uchiha started making his way out of the village. He had gained all the knowledge he needed in _Konohagakure_. They could not possibly offer him anything more. Sasuke, picking up his bags before taking one last look at his apartment, slowly closed the door behind him in silence. The whole village had fallen asleep as he continued to make his way out. As he began strolling along the stone path, he heard a few twigs and branches snap. He immediately stopped and pulled out a _kunai_ only to see a little rabbit running out from the forest. Sighing in relief, Sasuke continued making his way down the pathway until he found a very familiar face.

"Sasuke-_kun_," Sakura trembled lightly in front of him as her eyes began to spill with tears. "Where are you going?"

Sasuke remained silent as he continued to walk past her, dismissing her quickly and coldly. "It's none of your concern."

"Sasuke-kun, please don't go!"

He wanted to walk away but he decided to listen to Sakura's plead first. He knew that she always looked at him but somehow, he found her clinginess irritating more than helpful. In all their missions, even if Naruto had been the biggest idiot on the face of the earth – between the two of them, Naruto had been more helpful than he had shown himself to be. Sure there were times they would bicker and fight like children but that was the way brotherly friendships worked, he mused. He remembered the times that Naruto had also nearly got himself killed for his sake but Sakura – where was she? Scowling inwardly at her weakness, Sasuke slowly turned around to face her as the night winds began to blow.

Frankly, he was quite happy to be rid of her.

"Sasuke-kun, I know you find me annoying but I love you and I don't want to lose you!"

Sasuke refused to grace her with a response.

At that point, Sakura had an inner feeling that Sasuke would try to leave the village. She had to stop him before something bad happened! She could only imagine being commanded to take the life of the boy she had come to admire and love. The mere thought sent shivers down her spine as she stayed in front of him, waiting for his response. Sakura bit her lower lip anxiously; would Sasuke really abandon them? Would he really abandon the village for the sake of power? She whimpered and hung her head with tears forming and falling down her face uncontrollably.

"Sakura, thank you but," Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his soon-to-be former teammate, staring at her darkly. "There's someone else."

Sakura's eyes widened as Sasuke continued to move away until he reappeared behind her. "And, I can't let anyone know I left."

With one swift motion, Sasuke knocked out his teammate as he continued walking on. He remembered how he fought Mimi, Taichi and Gray back there. The adrenaline of power was severely tempting and he needed it! He wanted to take revenge for his family! Itachi had slaughtered all the clan members as if they were pigs in a pen. He bit his lower lip and clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. The moonlight slowly faded as he continued walking on towards the exit and entrance of his home village. As he reached the gate, his eyes widened when he found vines suddenly sprouting out from the ground and barring him from passing. He narrowed his eyes and found the very crimson haired Yamanaka ninja who had been occupying his thoughts as of late. He gazed straight into her amethyst eyes as she inhaled deeply.

"I'm not going to stop you from leaving if that's what you really want," Izumi breathed in deeply as the vines slowly shrivelled away. "I just want you to listen to me before you go."

Sasuke found himself puzzled by the red haired _kunoichi_ from standing in front of him; she's not going to stop him?

"You're probably expecting me to yell at you and say "please don't go" and cry my freakin' ass out but," Izumi hung her head, forcing her body to stop trembling. "I won't because you probably never wanted to stay. You wanted footholds that could get you to your ambitions. Mimi had warned me ahead that you're not the same Sasuke that she would tease and soon get into a playful brawl in. Gray and Taichi, when I saw how badly beat up they were – I knew there was something wrong but there's still a part of me that still believes that the Sasuke I have grown to admire is still there. So all I'm going to say is this – just try and gain your power the right way but you know what – you were well on your way there right now."

Sasuke blinked several times as he looked at her glassy amethyst eyes.

"Do you want to know why Gray always had the upper hand over you? Why Taichi despite being a _bijuu _can control his power so well? Why Manyama always had the power and accuracy to take down multiple opponents? Why Mimi despite being like you became extremely more powerful?"

Actually, those questions had been pestering him for a long time now. He remained silent and waited for her response.

"It's compassion."

Compassion? Sasuke wanted to gawk at her stupidly. How the hell did that make them stronger?

"Compassion is to give out the best of your abilities for others and to live for others. Gray once told me that if he became a heartless killer to seek out his family's murderer – he would've thrown away everything they had taught him and that was a worse fate than their deaths," Izumi bitterly smiled as she took a step closer to him. "Taichi said that if he only sought power now he would've become the very thing that _Konoha_ demanded him to be. Mimi told me that she wanted to defeat them in a different way. A way where she wouldn't need to try at all and Manyama always wanted to make sure we were all okay. So, they decided to be the opposite. Gray became a Trickster style ninja, Taichi had learned control and assertiveness, Mimi learned how to live and enjoy life and Manyama always made sure they never lost themselves to their ambitions. As for me though..."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at the female Yamanaka; this was beyond unexpected.

"The Yamanaka's symbol is the violet which means blunt, candid love," Izumi placed her hand over her chest with a serene smile. "Frankly, I used to think if I got any stronger you'd try talking to me. I used to think that hearing your voice made it my day. But now – what made it more my day is that I managed to help you or at least lighten your load a little. To me, helping you was good enough to at least try to make you see what made my teammates so much stronger. I used to think I was weak but now I realized – everyone has a certain part to play and right now, I'm going to be the one to at least keep your morals in check even if your ways of seeking power is unorthodox."

With that, Sasuke never found himself so astonished in his life. He had heard girls confess to him and he turned them down but hers sounded extremely sincere. She wasn't going to stop him but Izumi simply planned to help him along the way without getting himself killed. A small smile crept up his lips as he placed the bag down and started walking towards her. Despite his cursed seal bugging him to turn away from her, he felt a stronger force pulling himself towards her. His hand stretched out and before he knew it, it snaked right around her waist and pulled her close to him. Izumi stared in shock as he took off her forehead guard and right there kissed her forehead. Her eyes widened and her face heated up considerably as his fingers ran through her crimson tresses.

"I would bring you along with me but I can't. Just... wait for me."

Izumi blinked as Sasuke slowly disappeared from her view, unsure to make of his words.

**That's chapter 29! Sorry for the late update!**


	30. Pusuit Team

**(I don't own Naruto…)**

Chapter 30 – Pursuit Team

As soon as early morning rolled by, people soon started rebuilding their homes from the last and recent destruction. However, many of the ninjas had been horrified to learn the news of Sasuke suddenly deserting the village. Many of the girls threw a big fuss and some even started crying at the thought of their beloved "Sasuke-_kun_" deserting the village. As she slowly regained her senses, Sakura found herself on the park bench and staring at the brightly shining sun. She shook away the daze before sitting up and remembering sadly on her futile attempt to prevent Sasuke from leaving. Her eyes then began to water before she cupped her face with her hands and broke down into an uncontrollable sob.

"You know, he wouldn't have stayed even if you hammered his feet to the ground and hung him by his ear."

Sakura looked up and found the crimson haired Yamanaka _kunoichi_ standing in front of her. "Izumi, what are you doing here?"

Although despite her broken self, Sakura couldn't help but feel a boiling jealousy hidden in her blood.

Izumi had always been the girl ready to help Sasuke when necessary although she had always been extremely helpful according to Ino. In fact, she had become so generous to a fault that sometimes she forgets that people had to learn how to do things themselves. She had seen Izumi tend to other ninjas and how easy it was for her to mend torn skin and bruised bodies together when she barely had any medical ninja training. Ino had always known that Izumi had always deviated from the normal Yamanaka clan path of mind alteration techniques and the sort but instead went for a more psychological and healing pathway. Her great knowledge in plants always got her teammates back into shape when they had always hit a sharp corner. What pissed her off the most was that Sasuke seemed to be much more gentle and kind to her in comparison to his cold aloof self. How did Izumi manage to draw out that side of him? It simply wasn't fair!

In the end, what did she have?

"I was gonna call you for a mission but seeing as you're still in mourning for your teammate," Izumi turned away to walk towards the _Hokage's _office. "I'm gonna go tell Tsunade-_sama_ that you'll be staying back to help rebuild the people's lives. Trust me, even Ino's not going. Although, I think majority of the girls aren't going."

Sakura blinked several times. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Hinata's still recovering from her injuries from her fight with Neji, you got your ass whooped by Gaara and let's not forget that you're currently a mess, Ino's messed up too by Sasuke's leaving and they need me here for medical and psychological recovery," Izumi grinned lightly, tousling her red hair. "I highly doubt they're gonna let Mimi lose. She's just gonna kill Sasuke on sight."

Sakura laughed softly, realizing it was a pursuit mission for Sasuke. "Yeah..."

"Look, if you need any help with mind-relaxing – look me up," Izumi smiled before walking away, leaving Sakura to contemplate.

Meanwhile, all the teams and the Jounins assembled in front of Tsunade. A blonde buxom woman donned on the _Hokage_'s robe before looking at the members standing before her with Takagi, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and Gai standing before her. She never expected this to happen the moment she assumed the position. After Itachi had suddenly appeared, Sasuke had left the hospital much to her annoyance to confront him and to lose miserably. Clucking her tongue in annoyance, she pulled out a map. Man, she mused darkly to herself. Why am I always stalked by bad luck?

Tsunade folded her arms together, leaning against the chair. "Now with one of the Konoha ninjas missing and knowing who the culprit is, we have to send in a large team."

Takagi watched her eyes carefully as she stated their situation. After hearing how the _Kazekage_ had been killed and that Orochimaru had used _Sunagakure_ to invade, Takagi couldn't help but wonder how powerful Orochimaru was for him to slip in completely undetected. Normally, the ninjas at the entrance would have at least noticed that something is amiss.

Tsunade glanced at the ninjas standing behind the Jounins. "We'll need a lot of Hyuuga clan members since we have a tracking mission. Not just them but Aburame clan members and Inuzuka clan members. I need every tracking expert on the job."

She looked at the résumés, glancing up at Gai. "Gai, I'll need you to send in Neji for the mission."

Without a word, Gai stepped aside and allowed Neji to step closer to hear further instructions.

Nodding in approval, Tsunade continued sifting through the résumés until her eyes found another profile. "Oh, there's another Uchiha. Maybe she could-"

Takagi swallowed hard before quickly and smoothly interjecting, realizing she had found Mimi's paper. "Although she's a great fighter, I don't think its best if we send her."

Tsunade gave him a quizzical look and so did the other Jounins as Takagi realized he had slice through the tension before inhaling deeply. Takagi knew Mimi's personality inside and out and if there's anything he knew about her – she would just jump at any opportunity to whack Sasuke for being unable to stop his brother or for looking like Itachi or whatever possible reason his adoptive daughter could come up with.

"She won't just pursue Sasuke. She'll chase him, capture him and then torture him until he can't think properly anymore," Takagi scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. _Good thing Mimi's at home still sleeping otherwise she'd go ballistic._

Tsunade sighed deeply and shook her head, placing Mimi's application aside. "Wow, hatred does run in the family. Any other trackers I need to know of?"

Kakashi raised his hand. "I volunteer Hyuuga Gray as co-leader for this pursuit team."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the silver haired _Jounin_, looking for his application. "Oh and why is that?"

"Gray has excellent tactical ability despite his stamina being horribly left much to be desired," Kakashi explained as he pointed out the application to Tsunade, nodding in full confidence. "He's used to working with a big group for a team. Besides, if there's anyone Sasuke is annoyed at – it's him. If Gray encounters him, he'll be able to fight toe to toe with him."

"He also has the Hyuuga Bloodline," Takagi glanced at Kakashi. _Kakashi, what are you thinking?_

Tsunade hummed in contentment, looking at the other pages. "What's this other bloodline ability that this paper's talking about?"

Takagi stood straight with a monotonous reply. "It's the ability to manipulate water and ice."

Tsunade pondered deeply, looking at the papers. The moment she assumed office, she couldn't believe that her _sensei_ left all that crap for her to deal with along with his funeral. She let out a slight groan upon remembering the last report regarding the sudden attack of Akatsuki on the village. I've only been here for a short time and this happens, Tsunade mused darkly to herself. After the funeral of Sandaime, the encounter with Itachi and everything else along with the repairs of the village had been driving her crazy. Never mind, Tsunade shook her head away from the daze. We have to get Sasuke back. He only has a span of three years left!

She stood up from her chair, glancing at the ninjas in the room. "I'm going to assign several people on this mission, any of those not on the list is going to stay here."

The ninjas nodded in affirmation as one by one their names were called. "Hyuuga Neji."

The brown haired Hyuuga nodded before standing in the centre in front of her desk. Akimichi Chouji soon wobbled after along with Nara Shikamaru. Yamato Taichi and Gray stepped out of their lines and joined the other three with Inuzuka Kiba and finally, Naruto took his position with them. Tsunade knew that Naruto would have insisted he gone. But then again, she knew that Naruto had every right to be on the mission not only because he was Sasuke's teammate but as much as she wanted to believe – Naruto may have the capacity to stop Orochimaru from causing more damage than he already has done.

Tsunade placed the papers down, pacing around and addressing the boys in a military like way. "The object of this mission is to retrieve Sasuke. If anyone tries to stop you, beat them in any way necessary."

The seven of them nodded before looking at Shikamaru and Gray. "You will have Shikamaru as your commander and Gray as vice captain."

Shikamaru stared in shock as Gray nodded and accepted the role without any qualms.

The Jounins looked warily at the two young captains and Tsunade warned them, handing them documents of the criminals. "Be careful, these won't be regular Jounins you're facing. They're high class criminals and won't take it easy on children or women. So give it your all."

The seven nodded as she dismissed them from her office. She knew they were young but they had the highest opportunity to break through Sasuke. Based on the report she read, Sasuke barely had any respect for his higher ups let alone his own _Jounin _teacher. The comments coming from his teacher also from the academy had given her a good idea that there was no way in hell that Sasuke was going to go back if an adult was sent to convince him. Although she questioned herself what more his own peers, she realized that he at least shown some recognition to them according to some of the teachers saying. Sasuke and Naruto had some sibling rivalry and Gray and he were constantly fighting each other because Sasuke had a severe superiority complex issue.

When they left, Kurenai glanced at the door, shaking her head. "_Hokage-sama_, forgive me for saying this. Are you sure they won't need Jounin supervision?"

Tsunade nodded lightly, smiling weakly. "We have bigger problems to deal here. That's why I asked all of you to stay here."

Kakashi chuckled lightly at his female colleague. "You should trust them, Kurenai."

She looked at the silver haired Jounin as Kakashi glanced out the window. "They would do everything in their power to bring back a friend, that's what gives them a higher success rate."

She remained silent as Takagi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, I'm sure they'll remember everything we've taught them, though I still have small doubts about one thing."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow as Takagi bit his lower lip; he immediately started mentally kicking himself for it. "And what would that be?"

"Why do I have a feeling that Sasuke chose to go there by his own free will?"

The whole room fell silent and that left everyone wondering. Was Sasuke really kidnapped? Or did he let them kidnap him? Or did he follow them by his own free will?

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As Naruto and the others got ready to leave, Naruto began packing things up before heading towards the gate. He couldn't understand why Sasuke had suddenly left the village. He remembered fighting his teammate on the rooftop and there was something inside him that simply snapped. He ran through his memories, wondering what could have pushed Sasuke to be the insane man that he turned into. Shaking his head, the blonde hyperactive ninja then solemnly walked towards the gates.

"Naruto, wait!"

He sharply turned around and saw Sakura chasing him and she managed to reach him before he left the village. The blonde ninja blinked several times; Sakura never asked him anything until now. She rarely interacted with him unless she wanted to get mad at him for whatever perverted tricks he had up his sleeve.

"What is it Sakura-chan?"

The pink haired _kunoichi _slowly caught her breath as she hung her head, failing to stop her tears from falling. "I know I've been a bad person to you and I'm in no position to ask you for a request but please…please bring Sasuke-kun home!"

She swallowed her pride to ask Naruto. She could've asked Gray or any of the others but she personally asked Naruto. Sakura never realized how weak she was in comparison to all her teammates or her colleagues. Even Ino had completely surpassed her when she and Gray worked in tandem to bring down Temari. When she had fought Gaara, Sakura remembered seeing how her life flashed before her eyes as Sasuke remained completely paralysed on the ground from his lack of _chakra_.

Though the blonde was initially speechless, Naruto grinned and gave her a bro fist. "I'll bring him home, Sakura, _dattebayo_!"

She looked at Naruto's cheerful face while watching him walk away and head towards the gates. Sakura remembered the first time she had met Naruto and she had always regarded him as a stupid idiot. Naruto had constantly rushed into battle without thinking and there were many times he had forgotten about the strategy that Sasuke and she had to pull him out of it. Although intelligence was not one of his strongest points, he definitely had the limitless drive. She remembered the story she heard after Naruto had managed to defeat Gaara when Sasuke could not. As long as he put his mind to something, it was sure-fire to succeed.

_Naruto…you've changed so much._

As Taichi packed up, the bluenette began checking all his rations in case the mission took longer than it should. He was a growing boy after all and how girls could starve themselves and put themselves on a diet was way beyond him. Shaking his head, Taichi counted all his burritos and rations before stuffing them into his bag. After that, he shut off all the electronics save his refrigerator before leaving the place. Going down the lane, he found himself bumping into his teammate and Hinata.

He grinned boyishly, running his fingers through his hair. "Oi, Hinata, what's up?"

The indigo haired Hyuuga _kunoichi_ blushed a little from the sound of his voice, slightly jumping before finally managing to speak. "Are you going to be alright?"

Taichi noticed the hint of concern in her voice and grinned determinedly. "Trust me, I will be. I'll make sure I come home with a bright smile like always."

Hinata blushed as he lightly kissed her cheek. Hinata never realized how boyishly cute the navy bluenette boy was after being exposed only to the male members of her family plus Kiba and Shino so most of her times were taken up by training. But now that she had seen Taichi up close, Hinata couldn't help but turn pink at the sight of him. She blushed madly in front of the navy bluenette before she suddenly heard a sounding whack on the head.

Taichi whined and rubbed the sore portion where Gray had swatted him, snorting in annoyance. "Owww, what was that for!?"

Gray chuckled coolly, with his mischievous trickster smirk. "You can do that later when I'm not guarding my cousin, Taichi."

He grunted in annoyance. "I'll tell you the rest when Popsicle Freak isn't near us."

Gray rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You sound like a rapist when you say that."

Taichi shot back, folding his arms and sticking out his tongue impishly. "I DO NOT!"

Hinata looked at her older cousin and Taichi bicker again and again like always before bowing humbly and praying. "Taichi-kun, Gray-nii-san, please be safe…"

As soon as Gray started walking out, he heard someone call his name. When he looked behind him, it was none other than Ino. He remained silent for awhile while trying to recompose himself. Normally, he would have the cool calm and trickster like expression but now the Hyuuga male felt his heard pounding hard against his chest. Shaking back every ounce of his giddiness, Gray remained calm and collected as much as he could. Or whatever forces he could muster up to keep his trickster and lax expression in check.

She hung her head, looking at a certain dust particle on the ground. "So, you're leaving, huh?"

Gray chuckled mischievously, raking back his coffee blonde hair. "Yeah, it's just some mission to go grab Sasuke whether he likes it or not…"

As soon as he turned around to proceed, he felt someone grab him. His eyes widened when he found Ino gripping his wrist tightly with fear and desperation glimmering in her eyes. He knew Sasuke had taken a big portion out of Ino's heart but no, he wasn't going to use that against Sasuke. Not today or maybe when he had a chance to throw a prank in his face to shame the shits out of Sasuke, Gray smiled slowly at the thought. Now that would be more interesting. However, Gray pushed that thought to the deepest recesses of his mind for awhile. That would be downright unprofessional of him! And if there was anything he prided himself on, it was his sense of professionalism.

In a desperate attempt to hide her desperation, Ino hung her head and averted her eyes away from him. "You better get him back, Gray!"

The blonde Hyuuga smirked deviously, keeping his cool. "Don't underestimate me, Ino. Just because Sasuke is the champion of Konohagakure doesn't mean no one can dethrone him from his title."

She looked at him as he removed his scarf and wrapped it around her wrist, slightly stepping back after. "This will be the symbol of my promise. That is my promise to come home alive and with Sasuke."

She smiled and Gray started walking away with the very same faint smile he kept across his face. The ninjas assigned then gathered at the front of the _Konohagakure _arches before finally taking their leave.

As they finally left the borders of Konohagakure, Chouji glanced around to see nothing that led to Sasuke. "Does anyone have a clue where he is?"

Shikamaru then glanced at Gray and Neji as the two Hyuuga ninjas took a step forward with Kiba feeling out the floor and sniffing it out. "This is why we have two Hyuuga clan members and one Inuzuka member. Do you think you three can track him down?"

Neji did hand seals and in doing so, activated his Byakuggan while Kiba started sniffing the floor with Akamaru.

Gray closed his eyes and started hearing ripples of water, envisioning Sasuke's pathway. Neji kept his _Byakuggan _activated as he pushed it to the limit to detect any movement or any traces of Sasuke's _chakra_. Kiba sniffed the air and sent Akamaru to one side as the little dog began sniffing up the ground.

Gray suddenly snapped open his eyes. "He's moving twenty kilometres north and he's doing it pretty fast. By sundown, he'll be beyond _Konohagakure_'s borders."

Shikamaru nodded in approval, glancing at the other Hyuuga ninja. "Is there anybody with him?"

Neji bit his lower lip with a disgusted snort. "There are five people with him. But, their chakra is so erratic; I can't tell how powerful they are."

Kiba twitched his nose, shaking his head. "The only thing I can tell you is that their chakra is evil. Nasty stuff, my nose won't stop twitching because of it."

Taichi put his hand on the ground and let Seiryuu's powers flow into the ground. Sounds resonated in his ears as his ears began to twitch. Everyone remained silent as the navy bluenette ninja began to control his breathing and the rocks started to vibrate.

"What's he doing," Shikamaru shook his head until Gray motioned him to keep quiet. "Gray...?"

"Wait for it," Gray glanced at Shikamaru as Taichi's ears continued to twitch and move with the winds blowing.

Taichi inhaled deeply, feeling his body tremble as a large wave of _chakra _hit him. "Their chakra pressure is crazy! I've never felt chakra like this before!"

Shikamaru bit his lower lip anxiously, realizing how far Sasuke had gotten at least gave him a combat measurement of who was with him. If these were the readings, the Nara clan member knew that this was going to be a whole lot worse than he projected. Like what Tsunade said, these guys weren't just ordinary criminals. They would slaughter a whole village if they were in the mood for it! Shikamaru felt his body trembling. Was this mission really worth it? He never really liked Sasuke but since he was one of them – it was only right. They never left anyone behind!

Shikamaru nodded stiffly, steeling his resolve. "But, we're still going to save Sasuke, aren't we? Despite the fact that a lot of us think he's either a jerk or an idiot or never had the chance to even talk to him, he's still a Konoha ninja. That's good enough reason for me to go after the guy."

Naruto agreed with Shikamaru and Neji deactivated his _Byakuggan_, nodding firmly. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

They all darted forward without a second thought, leaving Konoha behind.

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Meanwhile, back at Konohagakure, they were trying to repair the damage that Orochimaru caused. Children started helping their parents while Ino started moving around some of the merchandise that had been knocked down in the family flower store. As sweat poured down her cheeks, Ino wiped the sweat away with her arm until she found Gray's scarf wrapped around her wrist. She remembered that it was the same scarf that covered the small x-shaped scar on his forehead. The blonde girl traced it with a sigh, shaking her head.

_No, Sasuke-kun is my love. Gray's taking this too far..._

She took it off and threw it aside but before it could float away, a pink haired _kunoichi_ had caught it with a stolid stare. "You shouldn't take his kindness and loyalty for granted, Ino."

The blonde Yamanaka waved her hand casually, shrugging nonchalantly at her rival. "I'm not, it's just I don't have any feelings for him anyway. He treats me really nicely yes but no – I wouldn't dare go for a guy like him. My family hates his guts for being some double boy that showed up in the middle of nowhere."

Sakura sighed with a glaring retort, tightening her grip on the scarf. "Stop judging him for what he is but look at who he is! Ino, he really does like you! He'd give up a lot of things for you!"

Ino smirked with a sneer, tousling her pale blonde hair. "What's this - billboard brow defending a reject? What a perfect couple. I have a feeling you like him."

Sakura was obviously annoyed by the Yamanaka's description of both of them but bit her lower lip to prevent herself from lashing out.

_Gray's sweet and he's bending beyond his limit just to impress her!_

Ino sneered darkly, flipping back her hair arrogantly. "Face it, that guy will never impress me. He's just an outcast. No one likes him."

Sakura grabbed Ino's tunic, spitting venomously at her. "That's not true! You've never seen the extent of Gray's ability! All you've been doing is pretending to be impressed by him! You're giving him false hope!"

Ino calmly plucked Sakura's fingers off her tunic, shaking her head. "Though I ought to agree, but, how else will I get him away from me?"

Deciding not to push the issue, Sakura let go of Ino and walked away.

(Sakura's P.O.V)

Ino's horrible! How could she do that to him!

I find it sad; Gray's been working his butt off to be the best and this is what comment he gets? After seeing the way he cares for his team more than Sasuke-kun, Gray's so much more different than Sasuke even if they both saw their own families dead before their very eyes. I fell in love with Sasuke because he was the village's champion – any girl would want him for a boyfriend or at least be the centre of his attention. But Gray despite everything, he still managed to displace Sasuke. But, after these past few missions and events, I saw their real colours, Sasuke only wants power, Gray just wants to protect people. That's where his power is coming from. Just maybe – that's why Sasuke-_kun_ can't defeat him as quickly as he did others.

Also Taichi, though even I thought that he was a monster but he quickly made Naruto happy. That is something I haven't seen. Naruto always had a tough façade to fool people and to grab attention but Taichi and he hit off famously. Undeniably, I felt really happy when Naruto finally found a friend who sees him as Naruto but I never expected Konoha to subject children to that kind of pain. It isn't fair to Naruto and it certainly isn't fair to Taichi either to be turned into weapons of mass destruction. I wrapped the scarf around my wrist and ran my finger through the threads. This was something I will keep. He made a promise to Ino to bring home Sasuke alive, but she'll disregard his efforts when Sasuke returns. He'll be crushed! At least, I will know that he was one of the unsung heroes of the mission.

(End of Sakura's P.O.V)

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After reaching to a certain point, they were suddenly stopped by a huge man. With peach coloured hair, he beat his chest with a condescending snort. The seven ninjas froze for a moment, watching his every moment, trying to keep track of Sasuke at the same time. Shikamaru bit his lower lip anxiously, looking at the other ninjas and Neji sure didn't sugar coat his words.

"It looks like _Konohagakure_'s running out of ninjas! Hahaha, you'll all die before you get to Orochimaru! The name's Jirobu and I am your executioner!"

Without another word, Jirobu stood in front of them as they were about to pursue Sasuke. "_Doton; Doryuu Dango_!" (Earth Element; Earth Mausoleum Dumpling)

A huge wave of earth appeared to collapse on all seven of them but missed. Neji leapt high into the air and headed for one of the other branches while Gray hid behind one. Taichi easily withstood it and swallowed most of the earth much to Jirobu's surprise while Kiba immediately hauled up Akamaru and prepared to slice through him. Shikamaru immediately darted right behind Jirobu and landed right behind him while dragging Chouji along.

Naruto scowled as he immediately put his fingers together. "That's it! I'm getting annoyed, _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" (Shadow Clone Technique)

Multiples of him rained from the sky and Jirobu destroyed all of them with ease. One by one, they disappeared as he punched them all when Neji emerged from the dust to land a palm strike only to have Jirobu grab him and throw him aside. Taichi immediately caught Naruto and flung him to one side while he used the force to propel him forward. Gray created a frozen slide from the water in his jug as Neji slid down to one side while he raced next to Taichi with the other portion of the slide melting back into water and returning back to Gray. With this, Gray created a frost blade on his arm as Jirobu prepared to punch him. With one strike, Taichi shielded his teammate with his diamond scales while Gray managed to slash him at his abdominal area before getting kicked while Taichi got hurled to one side.

Jirobu laughed mockingly before swinging his fist at Kiba's face, knocking the beast specialist against a tree trunk. "Is that the best you Konoha ninjas can put up?! Wahahaha, you're all pathetic!"

Jirobu prepared to lunge at the other members until something had pinned him down to the ground and noticed that his shadow had been attached to someone's. He turned around and saw Shikamaru, binding him down using the _Kage Mane no Jutsu_ (Shadow Binding Technique). He desperately tried kicking it off or fighting it with brute strength but Shikamaru struggled to keep the shadow attached to the big man.

"Chouji, go for it!"

The Akimichi member immediately expanded his size into a huge ball before preparing to steam roll Jirobu down and send him crashing towards the forest floor. Unfortunately, the huge brute although used his brute strength to fight back the _Kage Mane no Jutsu_ and sprint out of the way but he still got knocked aside as he managed to jump away from the shadows. Jirobu sneered in delight until a huge tornado of cutting claws slashed through him and sent him flying until he grabbed the centre of the tornado and flung Kiba towards Naruto who had been trying to strike Jirobu down. Jirobu guffawed in delight. These kids were actually trying to take him down despite their inexperience!

Jirobu beat his chest arrogantly with a demeaning snort. "You're all pathetic!"

"Wanna know what's more pathetic?"

He turned around and saw ice crawling up to his skin, in horror. "You little shit...!"

Gray tossed up a small water balloon with a mischievous smirk on his face. "I just needed to wet you after you threw me aside. Now, for a little reinforcement..."

Jirobu hissed darkly as the frost started appearing on Gray's hand and rushing to life. "What is this?"

Gray smirked deviously as the power started compressing on his shoulders and freezing and the frosty _chakra_ started swirling around him. "This is a technique I came up with. Since I don't have enough _chakra_ to toss around, I'm going to have to do the other way. Taichi, you ready?"

The navy bluenette was in the air with a huge ball of energy and his eyes were green and his skin became that of Seiryuu. Much to his horror, Jirobu found his feet cemented into the ground as the ice began crawling up his body and making sure he stayed stuck to the branch. Shikamaru had taken the opportunity as well to nail his shadow stuck onto Jirobu. Taichi rushed in with his hand glowing with a bright silver colour while frost air started swirling around Gray and tore off his hoodie.

"Seiryuu no Tekken," Taichi threw his fist forward as diamonds started covering his arm. (Seiryuu's Iron Fist)

"_Enhyouga_," Gray hissed darkly as he slashed right past Jirobu. (Dark Glacier)

Everyone stared in awe as Taichi split a tree in half and a loud shattering of ice echoed loudly in the air. Dust rose into the sky as Shikamaru and the others could only stare in astonishment how Taichi and Gray carried that kind of artillery. Neji gawked at his cousin as Gray leapt high into the air onto the higher branches while Taichi leapt to one side, snarling with draconic like eyes. However much to everyone's admonishment, Jirobu remained completely undamaged with dust and dirt.

Jirobu snorted with a mocking laughter. "What's the matter? Can't stop me!?"

Shikamaru clucked his tongue in annoyance, watching Taichi and Gray home in for the attack. Chouji launched himself as a human bowling ball and prepared to roll Jirobu flat. Neji leapt high into the air as well with his _shuriken_ flying down. This is taking too much of our time, Shikamaru mused darkly. And he's easily over powering us, there's no way we can stop him on time! Jirobu then hurled a huge mound of dirt shots as it rained straight towards them, Gray spun around to deflect the shots while Neji also unleashed his own _Hakkesho Kaiten_ while Taichi immediately turned his skin into diamond scales.

"Guys, pull back," Shikamaru jumped through the forest, leading his team away from the shooting balls of dirt.

As they all managed to jump out of the way, Shikamaru landed behind a bush below while continuing to watch Jirobu trash the forest with the others. "We're taking to long, we have to find a way how to beat him and I mean now."

Kiba rolled his eyes with an annoyed snort. "Yeah like that's gonna be easy! Taichi just tickled the damn bastard and not even Gray or Neji had laid a hit."

The whole team had remained silent as they heard more explosions coming from behind. Shikamaru winced at the loud sounds as the ground seemed to tremble as Jirobu took a step forward each time.

"Maybe it's best if I stay behind and deal with him…"

Everyone looked at him gawked at him in astonishment as Chouji nodded firmly. "Think about it, I'm the only one so far to deal enough damage to at least scare him. Everyone else got hit even before they could lay a finger on him."

Shikamaru bit his lower lip anxiously; he didn't want Chouji to jump into something that would cause his own death. "Are you sure?"

Chouji grinned determinedly. "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself, you go fetch Sasuke. He's the one thing everybody's worried about right now."

They all exchanged glances with one another and nodded. Sasuke was the main objective of their mission right now.

_Thank you, Chouji._

Shikamaru had second thoughts of leaving his friend behind but what was there to do? If they didn't leave Chouji, Sasuke would be right off their trail! The Akimichi member was making a huge sacrifice for the team, taking a high class criminal all by himself was crazy. But he knew better; Chouji had already accepted the dangers of his plan. Without another word, the six remaining sprinted off but as Jirobu tried to catch him, Chouji steam rolled him again in order to stop him.

Chouji inhaled deeply before bellowing in a loud voice. "I'm your opponent now! So, don't try skipping or I'm whooping your filthy little butt!"

Sneering to himself, Jirobu found Chouji standing in front of him a little to amusing. Normally, children his age would rather go home when the battle had become too troublesome but this one had gall to challenge him. In both weight and size, Chouji and him had the same speed. Without any warning, Chouji rolled towards him before landing a punch on his face before rolling again and bouncing off the tree branches. Jirobu scoffed before throwing another punch to which Chouji managed to brace himself for the impact. After all, this kid ain't going to be much of a threat is he?

"Well, if you're so bothered about Chouji then you shouldn't mind me dropping in then!"

Jirobu looked up as Taichi gave him a full fist in the face, knocking through the branches before grinning. "I'm just a ninja passin' by to whoop your little ass!"

Chouji gawked and looked behind him. "But what about...?"

"I'm not gonna let you hog all the glory and besides," Taichi grinned in determination as his eyes became draconic emerald. "I'm all fired up!"

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After they left Chouji and with Taichi retreating back to aid him, Shikamaru was awfully worried but tried to keep as calm as possible. He never realized how powerful these criminals were but now that he had faced one and it had taken all of them to come up with something. How about the others? He glanced at Gray, Neji, Kiba and Naruto as they continued sprinting on and finding their lost friend. How troublesome, Shikamaru snorted in annoyance at the thought of saving Sasuke. He knew Sasuke and him had rather no relation or no interaction with one another whatsoever but that wasn't going to stop him. Besides, if he stayed back – he would never hear the end of it from Ino. Before he could proceed with the remaining members, a web suddenly shot out and pinned all six of them against the tree.

"Aww hell no," Taichi began kicking and thrashing against the web with not much success. "Where does Orochimaru get his lackeys? The pet store?"

Suddenly, a spider-like man dropped and revealed four of his arms with a sneer. "Hehehe, gotcha – I didn't expect the _Konohagakure _brats to get past Jirobu. Kidomaru's the name. Oh, I'll be killing you guys for today."

Gray rolled his eyes sarcastically, dryly snorting. "The guy really knows how to encourage us doesn't he?"

He started creating something coming out of his mouth.

Kiba tried using his claws only to have his arms bound more tightly. "Aww, come on. That's just sick."

Kidomaru sneered at the struggling ninjas. "Like it? It's my sticky gold weapon. Pretty sharp eh?"

Without a warning, Naruto's clones were all over the place and Neji punched himself out of the web and set the others free. Monitoring Kidomaru's _chakra_, he attacked the falling spiders as more arrows flew in his direction. Arrows impaled on the trees as the coffee blonde Hyuuga used some of them as stepping stones before grabbing the other arrows. Gray leapt high in the air before grabbing a few of them and solidifying it into ice and threw them back. Kidomaru, snorting in annoyance, made another set of golden sticky javelins as he fired it at Gray who had been vaulting and twisting in mid-air. As the spider man tried to move, Shikamaru immediately attached his shadow while Kiba appeared with a pummelling technique.

Kidomaru let out a bored sigh as he managed to kick down Kiba into Gray, sending the two against the tree trunk. "Sheesh is that all you can come up with?"

Neji clucked his tongue as he grabbed another spear, crushing it with the _Jyuuken. _"Go! I can handle this by myself."

"Are you insane!? This guy is stronger than the last guy!"

Neji scowled in annoyance before spinning around and deflecting the falling web. "Just save the Uchiha kid. Give him my regards and tell him he's a sick jackass for making me do this."

"You're not going to be doing this alone," Gray froze water into a set of javelins before hurling it in one shot towards Kidomaru who cartwheeled out of the way.

Neji shook his head, shoving Gray aside. "Gray, Sasuke's probably got the higher probability of chasing after you because he acknowledges you as a rival. If you die here, the mission may ultimately lead to failure! Go!"

Shikamaru nodded and shook his head at the coffee blonde ninja, dragging the sputtering and reluctant blonde away. "I'm not willing to take any risks anymore; one of those risks could kill you."

As they continued sprinting on much to the chagrin of Gray for being forced to leave his cousin behind, Shikamaru continued looking around for place Sasuke could be in. Gray had his _Byakuggan _activated and Kiba continued following Sasuke's scent. Naruto continued on behind as Shikamaru bit his lower lip anxiously, looking how little they were left.

"I can't believe it, it's like he knew they were instantly going to send us after him," Shikamaru snorted in annoyance, clenching his hand tightly into a fist.

"It's more like they gauged Konoha's capabilities and what better way than the Chuunin Exam?"

They all turned to face Gray as his eyes narrowed darkly. "It looks like we've got another one coming."

Before they could move on, they bumped into another sound ninja as a _shuriken _suddenly stopped them from moving forward. "Well, well, well, look what we have here brother, Konoha brats!"

Another head protruded from the back with a maniacal grin crossing his features. "Yeah, I think I can smell fresh blood from them too."

Kiba twitched his nose before scrounging up his face in disgust. "Gah, what hell hole did you crawl out from?"

Gray narrowed his eyes as he watched their opponent's flow of _chakra_. "This guy must have the ability to fuse himself with others, it's like he fuses with his opponents like a parasite."

The head standing up front grinned darkly. "The name's Sakon and this head over here is my brother, Ukon. Seems like someone over here figured out how our bloodline works."

"Tch," Gray squinted his eyes while watching the flow of _chakra_ as best as he could, pushing more effort into his _Byakuggan_. "Their _chakra_'s so distorted. I can't read the flow clearly..."

Sakon and Ukon vanished, causing everyone to look around frantically. Kiba, Shikamaru, Gray and Naruto stood back to back with each other, waiting for their next move as Gray suddenly grabbed Naruto and pulled him a few inches back as Sakon and Ukon punched the ground. Seeing that Sakon and Ukon needed time to recover their stance, Gray used his momentum to kick Sakon and Ukon away while Shikamaru had latched on his shadow to the two headed criminal. Kiba immediately ran in for some slashes until Sakon and Ukon suddenly split apart but not before Gray immediately attacked from behind.

Ukon prepared to punch Gray until he shattered nothing but an ice effigy. "Hey how did you-?"

Gray then whirled around for a fast roundhouse kick and knocked down Sakon and Ukon towards the ground while Kiba ran in with a couple of slashes.

Kiba grinned cockily while brandishing his claws. "Hah! Whaddya think of that?"

Sakon hurled another fist towards Kiba as the Inuzuka clan member. "You're dead, dog breath."

Kiba managed to dodge the punch but not before Ukon grabbed him and flung Kiba against the ground. Gray found a river running nearby and immediately called for water as it circled around his arm and froze into a blade. Sakon and Ukon roared against Kiba as the Inuzuka clan member rammed into Sakon and Ukon before throwing _kunai_ at the double headed criminal.

Kiba clucked his tongue, blocking Sakon and Ukon's way. "Go, this one's going to take too much time off us too! Go, you too, Hyuuga, I don't need your help!"

Shikamaru inhaled deeply; another one decides to leave. "Gray, everyone let's go!"

Gray and Naruto, nodding and exchanging glances with one another, leapt away with Shikamaru as Kiba remained standing in front of Sakon and Ukon. A huge maniacal grin curved up Sakon and Ukon's lips as he brandished his own weapon.

"Hah, your friends have just lost their faith in you! You must be stupid to fight me alone!"

Kiba smirked cockily, revealing his wolverine fangs. "Who said I was alone?"

Akamaru jumped out Kiba's jacket and bit Sakon and Ukon as Kiba landed a punch on Sakon's face. "How do you like me now huh? You guys are just an ass with a fusion problem!"

Sakon and Ukon were enraged by the comment so they charged straight into Kiba who had leapt up above them with a good kick. Akamaru rushed in and gnawed on Sakon's leg, distracting one head while Kiba took on Ukon. Left with no choice, the two brothers split apart and rushed towards Akamaru. Kiba bristled angrily as he vaulted over Sakon and Ukon before landing right in front of them and slashing past them while grabbing Akamaru.

_Tch, this Uchiha kid better be worth it_.

**-That's chapter 30! I hope you like it, please review!**


	31. Finding Him At Last

**Me: I don't own Naruto!**

Chapter 31 – Finding Him At Last

After leaving Kiba and Akamaru behind, Shikamaru felt worse than ever.

_What kind of idiot would leave their teammates behind? Oh yeah, there's an idiot like me._

He hit himself mentally occasionally due to the fact that his mind wracked with guilt. He didn't want to leave them behind but what choice do they have? Sasuke was getting farther and farther and they couldn't lose track of him or they would completely fail the mission. If the opportunity presented itself properly or if he had made one, would things had become any better? He wasn't sure but he was a little glad that his team had been very elastic about things. Shikamaru bit his lower lip in annoyance as he tried to formulate a plan as fast as he could. He glanced at his last two teammates, Naruto and Gray as they continued to zip through the forest. Manyama did mention a tactic that could help make things through but he wasn't sure if he could pull it off. All it needed was someone who can act like a binder and two attackers. One attacker will disorient and the other attack would be made to destroy.

He looked at his teammates, the plan could be done but it would be harder to execute due to anybody knowing how to disorient. Naruto could easily fill in the bombardment role and he could act as the binder but where did that leave Gray? He remembered that Manyama told him something that allowed both Hyuuga clan members and Uchiha clan members had in common: the fact that they both could see their opponents' _chakra_ which by training themselves, they could read the flow and predict their next move. Though no one has ever done it, they might as well take the risk. Manyama had informed Shikamaru that Gray had been trying to perfect that move and so far the progress was pretty good enough to pull them through.

He swivelled his attention towards Gray, glancing at the ninjas in front of them. "Gray, do you think you can read the flow of chakra and tell me what their next move might be?"

The blonde Hyuuga chuckled deviously with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Hn, that shouldn't be a problem."

Shikamaru nodded and let out a sigh of relief. "Think you can do it now? We might as well speed up the search for Sasuke; the fact that I left four of the team members behind is bad and is prompting me to make this search move faster."

Gray then activated his Byakuggan and focused a lot of his chakra into his eyes thus revealing their movement pattern. The vision faded into black and white as purple and blue streams of _chakra_ emerged in his vision as he noticed their _chakra_ bouncing back and forth. The purple seemed to be the one carrying the one in blue. Gray weakened it a little and found a woman carrying some sort of basket with talismans attached to it. A small smirk appeared on his lips as he quickened his pace.

"Alright, they're heading north, and I can feel another member coming," Gray whistled lightly as he released more _chakra_ into his legs. "Sure there are only four now but apparently; another dangerous player has just entered the game."

Shikamaru nodded stiffly, basing the strategy on Gray's analysis. "Alright, we can do it this way. I'll trap the guy holding on to Sasuke. Gray, you distract him with your _Jyuuken _style while Naruto makes a quick get away with Sasuke. The _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu _should overwhelm the guy in numbers."

They nodded and quickly darted faster. Naruto bit his lower lip and began to wonder what made Sasuke turn out the way he did in the first place. He remembered fighting him on the rooftop and as they were exchanging blows, the blonde ninja couldn't help but not shake off the feeling of malice in his attacks. His punches had become more direct and he looked more hell-bent in killing him. He shook his head and remembered the darkness and malice that he felt from touching Sasuke's hand after he had been bitten by Orochimaru. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something in Sasuke just snapped especially after he had faced Itachi. Finally, they found Tayuya holding the basket with Sasuke in it. Shikamaru, Gray and Naruto stayed hidden for the moment and they looked at each other remembering the plan. They were trying to reduce the amount of casualties and get things done in the fastest time possible.

Shikamaru, Naruto and Gray got ready to sprint as Shikamaru did his hand seals before giving them the signals. "Go!"

Without any warning, Gray synchronized his _chakra_ with hers before leaping out and knocking her down from the back. Naruto summoned his shadow clones as they started raining in while he darted towards the container. She suddenly dropped the container and saw Shikamaru holding her down with his shadow completely bound to hers.

The dark haired Nara member snickered triumphantly. "Looks like you're trapped today."

Gray froze her to one of the fatter branches while Naruto proceeded to grab Sasuke and go. With Tayuya bound, she struggled violently only to have Shikamaru to keep a firm grip while Naruto managed to sprint away with the container. Gray whacked a few of her pressure points as her arms began to dangle limply on her sides until someone managed to kick Naruto all the way to another tree, revealing another fighter in the field.

Tayuya gaped in astonishment, watching the male calmly bring the container with him. "Kimimaro, what are you-?"

He emotionlessly stared at his opponents before turning away from Tayuya, earning a snort from the pink haired woman. "I'm simply helping you finish the job. Orochimaru-_sama_ demands that his body is delivered to him immediately."

Completely ignoring Naruto and kicking down Gray to shatter the ice, he immediately darted away with Sasuke-in-a-box.

The blonde fox immediately gathered his wits and sprinted after him. "Hey, get back here!"

Gray clucked his tongue and glanced at Shikamaru, grabbing Naruto's arm. "You idiot, we're not leaving Shikamaru behind!"

"Don't mind me!"

Gray and Naruto glanced at Shikamaru who kept a firm grip with his Shadow Binding Technique. "Just go! Sasuke's the main part of this mission, if you lose him, you break your promises that you made!"

Gray recalled the promise he had made to his female cousin to return home safely with a successful mission along with making a promise to Ino that he would bring back Sasuke no matter what the cost. Even if he had to drag Sasuke back kicking and screaming, he didn't care. He couldn't quite put a finger though as to why Sasuke would suddenly go to Orochimaru for power. Sure the man had power and was one of the legendary ninjas of the world but one look at him made shivers run up his spine. Shaking his head, Gray glanced at the other blonde before darting towards Kimimaro to pursue Sasuke.

Before they left, Gray chuckled deviously before pointing his fingers at Tayuya's flute. "One more thing…"

He frosted Tayuya's flute with an icy wind, earning a glare from her. "That thing's useless now…"

They both darted away as Tayuya had to deal with her frozen flute that had been clogged up with ice and snow.

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Meanwhile back at Konoha, most of the ninjas began fixing up the other infrastructures and places that had been destroyed. Izumi began running back and forth through the medical wards and bringing in herbs and medicines to help the ninjas. Ino had been helping fix back the flower shop and Manyama also had been assigned to the blacksmith area and the weapons forging area. Her family, the Uzami clan, were a famous clan of blacksmiths and alchemists as she began applying all her knowledge into elemental attributed weaponry. Sakura began looking around and surveying the area until she found a little boy sobbing with his hand coated in blood.

She immediately ran to the little boy, crouching down to his height. "What's wrong, little guy?"

The kid sobbed loudly, whimpering. "My mommy's missing! I can't find her and it hurts!"

Sakura gently removed his hand from his forehead. "What hurts? Oh!"

The boy removed his hand and revealed a slash mark across his face in the same position Gray had his. Sakura remembered the time she had seen his house in the Wave Village and he had been very defensive about his scar. When Ino had tried to touch it or ask about it, he immediately clammed up and looked away from her. Sakura remembered how dilapidated the mansion was back at the Wave Country. The family had been certainly well-off but the place had been reduced to shambles due to neglect. She looked at the scarf wrapped around her wrist and she wound it around the boy's forehead to stop the bleeding.

She looked around, checking for any hostilities before turning back to the boy. "Who attacked you?"

The boy managed to stifle some of his sobs. "It was at night time, some ninjas with music notes on their foreheads attacked looking for some guy named Uchiha Sasuke."

_They hunted Sasuke all the way here!?_

She nodded and reassured him, gently knotting the scarf around his wound. "Don't worry, we're doing the best we can to make sure we can fend ourselves from this sudden invasion okay? Where do you live?"

He pointed to a house and said, "Over there."

Quietly and gently holding the little boy's hand, she continued to accompany him to his house. The house looked very dilapidated much to her horror and the walls were cracked and the paint had began peeling off. Her emerald green eyes widened as she found other children running towards her as soon as they found the lost boy. The first thing that rolled out of their mouths was:

"Where's Gray-_nii-san_!?"

Sakura looked around and realized she stood in an orphanage for kids. These kids were from an orphanage raised by a young woman whom they called "mommy" and Gray had been going in and out of the place, bringing things for them and telling stories. Their expectant stares and their doe-eyed expressions nearly had Sakura hugging them if not for the shock she had from the loud chattering and yells from the children. Sakura found a little girl holding onto a little doll, shyly hiding away. She had bright blonde hair and amazing pale blue eyes as she meekly tugged on the pink haired _kunoichi_'s dress.

"Um, where's Gray_-nii_? He promised he'd read me a story as soon as he was done with his exams," she began to shrink away shyly, seeing how much taller Sakura was.

"Oh, he had to get something done since the _Hokage_ had assigned him to do something," Sakura nodded kindly. "Would you like me to read the story to you?"

The little girl averted her eyes and played with small specks of dust on the ground. "If it's okay..."

_Gray isn't just good looking, but he's also caring and sensitive. I don't know why Ino's ditching him and why she doesn't like him but if Sasuke didn't put too much competition then I would choose this guy over the rest._

The children immediately warmed up to her as they began playing happily with one another. Some even dragged her along to play with the toys as the little girl who had been so shy meekly tugged her dress again.

"What's your name, big sister?"

She smiled sweetly, helping the little girl sit next to her. "My name is Haruno Sakura."

"Oh, you're one of Yamanaka Ino's competitors for Sasuke!"

She swivelled her head towards a little boy with a shocked expression; how did he know that?

The little boy grinned toothily, giving her a thumb up before acting out some fighting skills. "Gray-nii-san always tells us about his adventures, I don't know why he always makes Naruto and Sasuke the hero but he should be the hero not them! He looks so amazing when he starts using his ice _Jutsu_!"

"Gray-_nii_-_san_ is so much better than Sasuke-_san_!"

"Yeah, I wanna marry Gray-_nii_!"

"No, he's mine!"

Sakura stared with wide eyes, surprised by the kids. They started telling her all sorts of things that Gray started doing for them and she did notice that majority of the toys were made from ice. However, her eyes widened when she found kites and other toys made with some sticks and rope but with the Uchiha symbol or a flame symbol on it. Some of them had a black lily or a teddy bear on it. There was even a dragon kite made on one side.

"Hello there…"

She turned around and saw a woman in a kimono, bowing kindly to her. "Thank you for staying with them. It's too bad Gray isn't here though, they really miss him."

The little girl smiled in delight, showing Sakura a drawing of another girl and Gray. "Not only him, but the Uchiha girl too! I like her! She's super strong and doesn't glomp over boys like other girls!"

Sakura could only smile in reply; it seemed that the two most unlikely people were popular among children. She knew Gray was very accommodating with children especially during their Wave Country days. But Mimi had been totally out of the question! She was always brooding or at least picking a fight with Sasuke but for her to get along with children had been an entirely new story to her. A small smile crept up her lips as she nodded at the woman before turning back to the children.

_If only they knew Mimi was actually a vengeance crazed Uchiha except more murderous…I guess she's sweet towards children…_

She simply stayed with them as she heard more stories that Gray and Mimi told them while they weren't on missions.

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Naruto and Gray chased after Kimimaro but no matter how much closer they got, he seemed like he was increasing his speed every minute. The coffee blonde winced at the pain that shot through his leg but quickly disregarded it as Naruto started sprinting past him. He knew that there was someone dangerous and the whole mission was almost a suicidal attempt to save the Uchiha but what could he do? Even as a Trickster, he did have his knightly code. He chuckled bitterly with a devious smirk as he started zooming forward with bursts of _chakra._

Naruto bit his lower lip, pushing himself away from the branches. "Isn't there anyway how to slow him down!?"

"Tch, I'm gonna need an accurate shot," Gray started performing a set of seals before breathing out a frozen wind. "_Aisu Kaze no Jutsu_!" (Icy Wind technique)

The branches the icy wind touched immediately froze upon contact as the winds blew harshly towards Kimimaro. The white haired ninja spun around before letting trees fall in front of him to defend himself from the ice as Gray forcibly vaulted over. Naruto clumsily slammed into the fallen trees as he started clambering over. Gray had managed to gain more distance as he bounced himself away from the trees.

Naruto scowled darkly before letting an annoyed snort. "Tch, you're not getting away!"

Seeing that the two were gaining distance, Kimimaro suddenly turned around something out of his finger tips as it flew straight towards Naruto and Gray. Hearing a loud whizzing sound, the coffee blonde immediately grabbed Naruto before darting away. However, a sharp pain shot through his leg as Gray slammed against the tree trunk and stumbling.

_Damn! I should've moved faster!_

He looked at his leg as he set Naruto down. Hissing in pain, Gray found his palms coated in blood as he looked at Kimimaro getting farther.

Naruto stopped before looking back at Kimimaro. "What happened? We gotta keep moving!"

Gray hissed in pain, digging into the wound to find the projectile. "You go on ahead. Make sure you don't lose him, I can catch up with you guys later."

Naruto left as he pulled the piece that inserted itself into his leg before Gray found himself staring at a solid hard piece. His eyes widened as he stared at the white piece: it was a bone. Twitching in disgust, Gray threw away the piece before remembering something when he was young. When his mother had left the village, she had mentioned when he was young that there was a clan that existed in _Kirigakure_ that had the ability to manipulate their own skeletal structure. Although there mere thought disgusted him, Gray never expected he would face another survivor. Despite the case being quite common, Gray could only shake his head and push himself forward.

_From what I remember, they were a blood-loving and battle-hungry clan. My mother would often tell me not to look one in the eye if ever. She had killed a few who had tried fighting her but all because they wouldn't stop until they died. This guy although may not have the same personality, he's still dangerous nonetheless._

Gray began releasing his _chakra_ and forcing his wound to shut. He winced in pain as he felt the cracks in the bone slowly mending itself together as his flesh began knitting itself together. He hissed in pain as he continued tracking down Naruto's _chakra_ before finally gaining some of his mobility back.

"Tch, this guy is troublesome," Gray boosted his speed with an annoyed snort, leaving afterimages of himself behind.

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Upon reaching the battlefield, Gray found Naruto throwing as many _Kage Bunshin _towards Kimimaro as he could. The blonde ninja darted towards him before kicking Kimimaro before being flung aside before disappearing. Gray looked over the mass of Naruto clones as he watched Kimimaro become more engrossed into the battle. He activated his _Byakuggan _as he started searching for the box that contained Sasuke in it. His eyes widened however when he found instead of blue and purple _chakra_ was a calm purple _chakra_ from the dancing Kimimaro but a violently lashing out purple _chakra_ that spewed out hatred and malice.

"I better end this fight, quick," Gray immediately froze water around his arm to deflect Kimimaro's attempt to stab him.

Naruto gawked in astonishment, staring agape upon wondering. "Gray how did you-?"

Gray continued glare coldly at Kimimaro with his usual dark Trickster gaze. "Get here so fast? Tell you later, get the blasted Uchiha out of here, he's disrupting my fight."

Naruto grinned goofily, shaking his head. "You don't like him either don't you?"

Gray smirked mischievously, parrying Kimimaro's next attack before freezing another bone and shattering it. "I'd give the most rhetorical answer any man would give. Of course I don't, but I'm doing this for Ino and Sakura, they both want him home don't they?"

Nodding in agreement, Naruto launched himself with punches flying towards Kimimaro. The Sound Ninja easily dodged left and right before kicking the blonde ninja aside before finding himself being flanked by the ice ninja. His eyes slightly widened as he pulled out one of his bones and tried to impale Gray before the coffee blonde slid past him and got behind. The bone summoning criminal slightly smirked before turning around and smacking an after-image of the said ice ninja.

"Tch," Gray staggered back, silently cursing his leg for not responding properly. "We're going to need a distraction."

He glanced at Naruto before nodding at the blonde who immediately summoned his clones once again to flank Kimimaro. With Naruto's clones attacking, Gray immediately slipped past Kimimaro and Naruto and stole towards the box. He shivered at the _chakra_ lashing out at him but the Trickster refused to back down. The moment he grabbed the box, his eyes widened with shock as a bone spear shot towards him before impaling him right through the stomach.

"Gray," Naruto stared in horror until the image of Gray began to break into nothing but ice crystals. "An effigy?"

"Shit, that bastard saw through the strategy right away," Gray scowled and reappeared behind Naruto. "If I didn't learn a _bunshin _based technique, I would have been dead by that hit."

Gray clucked his tongue in annoyance as Naruto continued his assault towards Kimimaro. He hissed in annoyance as Kimimaro solidified his body and let his bones take a beating from Naruto's blows that didn't even seem to bother him. Gray slammed his fist on the ground before releasing more _chakra_ to reinforce his speed and his attacks before launching himself towards Kimimaro. What even made it more embarrassing was the fact that he wasn't even using the cursed seal he was marked with nor did he even show any effort in taking them down. Kimimaro swirled around in some quick dance before destroying many of Naruto's clones and then went for quick thrusts that nearly impaled Naruto if not for Gray's quick sweep to force Naruto to buckle down and fall.

Naruto bit his lower lip anxiously. "Damn it, this is taking too long!"

Gray was looking at his surroundings to see if there was any water, he too was at another huge disadvantage: no water in sight. Did he purposely stop here because this place was nothing but sand and grass? Though he could do the Jyuuken style and use the _Hakke Rokujyon_ _Sho_ (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Strikes), the problem was on how to dodge and protect himself from the blows. He couldn't just switch himself to the _Hakkesho Kaiten_ (Eight Trigrams Heavenly Spin) in an instant though he wished he did. He felt a wave of helplessness wash over him, the same kind of wave that washed over him when his family was mutilated and massacred in front of him.

_I have no other choice...! It's now or never!_

Gray never found himself so desperate for victory. He usually took his matches easy with a calm demeanour or even playing around with his opponent before whacking his lights out. However, fighting Kimimaro was an entirely different story. He quickly redirected his _chakra_ into his eyes and started seeing the _chakra_ flow with each _tenketsu_ blinking in Kimimaro's body as if they were some targets. Gray's eyes widened before darting in with a determined glare. He only had applied this technique to Taichi before but locating weak points forced him to retreat as a sitting duck. This was actually his first test run – never did he expect himself to fight for his own life.

Kimimaro pointed his sharpened bone at Naruto and Gray. "This is pointless…you will all die after you fight me…you will never get Sasuke back."

Forcing himself to standing up, Naruto glared angrily as his blue eyes changed into a demonic red. "We will and I'll show you!"

However before Naruto could engage his opponent, the box suddenly split open as a foul stench filled the air. Gray and Naruto stared in horror as a black cloud of smoke and dust emerged Sasuke. His hair from its usual raven black colour had paled into a sickly light blue with his skin becoming somewhat brownish. Gray watched the purple _chakra_ swirled around Sasuke with horror before watching it disappear and Sasuke returning to normal. He first had black spots before having his normal skin appearance.

"This power," Sasuke chuckled maniacally with a psychotic grin, relishing the adrenaline that ran through his veins. "I want it!"

As soon as Sasuke escaped into the dense forest, Naruto immediately sprung after him. "Sasuke," – however, he turned around to his companion as Gray gestured him to go.

"Go! I'll handle him!"

Naruto swallowed hard as Gray continued egging him forward. "I can handle Kimimaro, with or without my other bloodline!"

Naruto bit his lower lip anxiously as he looked at the forest Sasuke had escaped into. Staying with Gray now to help defeat Kimimaro could have him lose track of Sasuke permanently. He glanced at Kimimaro who rushed in towards the coffee blonde who managed to spring away from the attack. With a _kunai_ in hand, Gray deflected all of Kimimaro's strikes and parried them expertly before clumsily crashing on the ground when he found his leg bleeding. Could Gray handle him despite his injured leg? His question was soon answered as Gray immediately recovered from his fall and swept Kimimaro off his feet and allowed Gray to return back on offence. Biting his lower lip, Naruto regretfully left Gray behind as he pursued Sasuke.

On the other hand, Kimimaro ghostly smiled at Gray and chuckled in amusement. "You're a rare clan member. Both bloodlines are alive in you…"

Gray re-took his battle-stance before letting a small Trickster smirk appear on his lips as his _Byakuggan _activated. "True that but I think I know which exactly to beat you with."

Kimimaro's eyes widened as Gray immediately vanished from his line of sight and reappeared right in front of him. The coffee blonde Hyuuga immediately grabbed his arm and froze their arms together. Kimimaro struggled to pull out when he realized that it was not water that had turned into ice but blood that had been oozing out of Gray's gashes. Gray immediately channelled the chakra into his palm before taking every _tenketsu_ that he could reach out. Gray knew his bones were made to withstand any solid physical damage and unless he had Rock Lee's strength and Taichi's Berserker-like capabilities and characteristics – he knew that there was no possible way beating Kimimaro on a physical fight would end up with him winning. His legs started to give in but he managed to push himself forward to throw more attacks.

Kimimaro chuckled in amusement, seeing how Gray began to struggle. "Do you actually think your pathetic ice crystal can hold me?"

With one swift emergence from his bones, Kimimaro shattered the bloody crystal holding them together before pulling out one of his bones once again and grabbed Gray by his neck. Choking, Gray began to control his breathing while trying to pry off the bone-wielder's fingers as Kimimaro smiled slowly. The coffee blonde Hyuuga could feel his body freeze and his consciousness fading as he tried to redirect his _chakra_ into the _tenketsu_ of his body to at least shock Kimimaro into releasing him. With not much _chakra_ left, Gray found the sharp end of the bone pressing against his chest as Kimimaro kicked him forward before launching himself towards him.

"_Yanagi no Mai_." (Dance of the Willow)

Gray winced in agony as he brought up his arms to shield himself from the attacks before solidifying the blood on his body. Without any other choice, Gray took the hits as some of them managed to rip through his hoodie and stab his body. Gray grit his teeth in agony as more blows started coming in before knocking him straight into a tree trunk with another final impale shot aiming straight for his head. His emerald green eyes widened before Gray began slowing his breathing, realizing he was at the end of his ropes.

_This is it. I can barely feel my body responding to me..._

When he was about to give up, someone grabbed him out of the way and moved themselves away and a huge block of sand blocked the last attempt. Gray looked up and saw Rock Lee. A small bittersweet smirk curved up his lips as he slumped down onto the ground with his consciousness managing to stay. The only thing that kept him running now was willpower to succeed.

"Surprise, surprise. I didn't expect myself to get saved at this time of the day."

Lee smiled and pulled Gray to one side, patching up most of Gray's wounds. "You shouldn't give up easily, Gray."

Gray's eyes widened as he found a familiar red haired ninja with a gourd standing in front of Kimimaro with his sand blocking an attack which should have impaled him. "You..."

"Hn, well – my sister did say that there was a boy who she found would be a waste if he died."

The red head turned around to face him and Kimimaro narrowed his eyes, clearly irritated at the boy who had taken away his kill. "Who the hell are you?"

Gaara simply shook his head with a stoic expression. "I'm a Sunagakure no Nin. Why? Do you have a problem with that?"

Rock Lee proudly declared, puffing up his chest before taking his battle stance. "I'm Konoha's Green Beast, Rock Lee!"

Gray chuckled darkly, trying to stop himself from bleeding. "Sheesh, even in the face of an enemy – he's still in an idiot. Wait, that's Sabaku no Gaara! Why the hell is he here?"

Gaara seemingly rebuked him as a small smile curved up the red head's lips. "Sunagakure has decided to remedy its ties with Konohagakure. Also, I would like to atone for something and this little battle might actually help me in doing so."

Lee suddenly tossed something to the coffee blonde male, revealing a water jug. "Here, Gray. You'll need this."

Gray blinked incredulously, looking at the bottle of water. "What in the world -?"

Lee grinned determinedly, not removing his eyes from Kimimaro. "You're ninjutsu-wielding bloodline, the mastery of ice and water requires ice in its basic form right? And that form is…"

"Water, yeah. I get the point."

Gray quickly got the bottle and the three of them faced Kimimaro. Despite his bleeding state, Gray managed to stand up and face Kimimaro while Gaara stood in front with Lee. He glanced at Kimimaro who barely looked exhausted despite having a whole barrage of Naruto clones attacking him and with him freezing him left and right. He had never faced an S-class criminal without his teammates and usually Mimi would scare even the most ruthless and sociopathic criminals into oblivion.

Gaara chuckled lightly in confidence, stretching out his hands. "This should be easy."

The place, as said was loaded with sand and Gaara had his own supply and with an endless amount chakra, everything had worked to Gaara's advantage. With a slight movement from his fingers, the sand rushed towards Kimimaro as the sound ninja danced away from the exploding sand. Bullets of sand rained in as Gaara's eyes watched Kimimaro carefully before the red haired ninja simply waved his arm and sent a whole wave of sand rushing towards the white haired criminal.

"Tch," Gaara scowled darkly before raising another sand wave to engulf Kimimaro. "Gray, summon the Wonderland's Bane."

The coffee blonde haired Hyuuga blinked several times, staring incredulously. "H-how did you...? What?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes before quickly turning to Gray. "A female Uchiha told me. Now, do you think that that's enough liquid?"

Gray looked around and nodded. Closing his eyes, he felt his _chakra _resonate with the moisture around him. His body slightly began to tremble as the water began to vibrate around him. He remembered the fear that seized him during the time that Orochimaru had savagely attacked his teammates and nearly left them all for dead. Mimi had been severely hurt and Taichi had actually bled when his scales were supposedly made of diamond, something impenetrable even by adamantine. Izumi had been bruised and scared as well and he remembered the distressed cries of his teammates as an image began to form in his mind. His blood boiled with fury as he felt the water responding to his fury and his rage as he started to cool it down into a freezing wrath.

"_Iga Wa Ryou no Hyouketsu_," Gray opened his eyes and unleashed his frosty vengeance. "_WANDARANDO NO HAMUTSU_!" (Iga Clan's Ice Technique: Wonderland's Bane)

The blood and water hurled itself into the air and began crystallizing itself much to the surprise of Rock Lee, Gaara and Kimimaro. Soon, a Gothic-like lionel formed with rabbits, dormice, dolls and other grotesque creatures began to form. Gray's former Trickster-like stare and disposition had been replaced by something more satanic and more horrifying. Gaara felt the icy wind brush against his skin as Gray's eyes remained devoid of all emotion with his hand stretching out determinedly to direct the huge attack.

Gaara had heard from his sister how powerful _Konohagakure_'s Jack Frost was but he never expected himself to see such a huge attack with heavy killer intent. According to the Uchiha female, whenever Gray used this technique – it proved he was no longer playing around with his usual Trickster-like demeanour. He had frozen his heart into solid ice, feeling nothing but the desire to accomplish victory. Seeing that Gray had his part of the plan done, Gaara turned to tell Lee the next part of the plan but soon found himself talking to thin air. Being as rash as he is, Lee charged in even when Gaara wasn't done speaking to him yet. The red head sighed in annoyance; the idiot's probably going to get his leg broken again. Lee immediately drew Kimimaro closer and began cornering him against Gray and Gaara. Seeing the huge ice attack completely prepared and enough sand to drown Kimimaro in, Gaara proceeded to encase Kimimaro in the Desert Coffin as Lee jumped out of the way with the ice train rushing in to crush Kimimaro into nothing but a mass of scarred tissue.

"Sabaku Soso!" (Desert Funeral)

"_Tousaigotsuuchou_!" (Frozen Ultimatum)

00000000000000000000000

Leaving Gray and the others behind was not very easy for the blonde ninja.

Naruto quickened his pace as he continued pursuing Sasuke, feeling the malevolent _chakra_ fading away faster. It had become increasingly difficult as not only Sasuke's _chakra_ had changed but also his physical capability. Naruto found himself losing sight of Sasuke and trying his best to hold onto the wisps of malevolent _chakra _that Sasuke had left behind. It wasn't the normal one anymore but it felt so evil similar to something else. He shuddered fearfully at the cold _chakra_ as he found himself running into a dark cave. His eyes widened as he could barely see his hands let alone his own fingers or his own shoes. He could hear nothing but the droplets of water dripping and falling onto the floor as he desperately began to feel his way out.

_How am I supposed to do this?_

"Don't give up, Naruto!"

He looked around and he saw a small illusion of Neji. "Neji, is that you?"

"You better go rescue Sasuke. I think you're the only one who can."

Naruto stared in astonishment at what he saw was Neji. He bit his lower lip darkly as he remembered all his friends who had let themselves get left behind in order for him to push forward and look for Sasuke. Although Sasuke and him fought and bickered constantly like brothers, he could not imagine his team being shattered into little pieces. With new found determination, he sprinted off and made it towards the end of the cave.

However, he failed to hear one thing that "Neji" had said.

"It's because you too, also saved me from the darkness that almost consumed me."

Naruto quickened his pace to a huge beam of light and found himself standing in the middle of the forest right in front of a waterfall area. Sasuke's aura had gotten more malevolent and stronger and allowed him to push himself to find him. The hyperactive blonde ninja kicked up the pace and jumped towards one of the statues where he found Sasuke standing on the other end, preparing to leave for the other side.

"Sasuke," Naruto's loud yelling had prompted Sasuke to stop. "What are you doing?! Get back here!"

The black haired Uchiha slowly turned around to face him and his face looked like it was transforming into a demon. A malicious smile curved up the black haired male's lips as he had a maniacal glint in his eyes. Sasuke couldn't believe all the c_hakra _spilling out of his body but now he found himself completely overpowered with all the things he wanted. He needed power to kill his brother! The man who had slaughtered his clan like pigs – he intended to carry out his ambition whether it meant betraying everything he truly wished for and sacrificing whatever was left of his sanity.

Naruto stared in shock and horror while Sasuke chuckled maniacally, sniggering ecstatically."What's the matter, Naruto? Don't you like the new me?"

The blonde ninja found himself speechless before shaking his head defiantly, growling angrily. "Sasuke, don't you realize what's happening to you!?"

Sasuke grinned evilly as he felt the power brimming. "Yes. I'm now getting the power I need, Naruto!"

Naruto never thought Sasuke would be so hard-headed about the power he so desperately craved. In fact, Sasuke and he had started getting along during the _Chuunin _exams and even through their other missions Naruto had found himself becoming more brotherly to Sasuke. Sure they had their normal brotherly spats and brawls in which had Kakashi picking them up by their collars or Sakura pinching both their ears to make them stop. He bit his lower lip and shook his head.

"Sasuke, put on your forehead guard. At least fight me as a ninja."

Sasuke scoffed before placing it on with an annoyed snort. "Well, fine. Since you're so heavily insistent about it, I'll do it just to amuse you."

After a few moments of allowing Sasuke to place on his forehead guard, Naruto immediately threw his punches towards Sasuke as the male Uchiha managed to toss him around with ease. Sasuke easily dodged past Naruto's flailing and punching before kicking Naruto straight into the stomach and sent him sprawling onto the ground. The hyperactive blonde immediately rolled away as a huge fireball nearly burned him into a crisp. As Sasuke prepared to move in, a whole barrage of clones flew in and smashed into Sasuke but not before his _Sharingan_ activated as he started taking them out one by one with very little difficulty. However, what he didn't expect was that Naruto had managed to punch his jaw and sent Sasuke staggering back against one of the rocky walls. As Sasuke pushed himself away, he wrestled Naruto to the ground as they began trading blows. Naruto swung his fist towards Sasuke as their punches locked on both each others jaws before knocking one another towards the cave walls.

_How... How can he still fight me!?_

Sasuke stared in admonishment as he started tapping deeper into the cursed seal. Naruto barely had amazing _chakra_ control and his knowledge rivalled that of a two year old so how did such an idiot manage to overpower him? He, the great Uchiha Sasuke, the avenger of his clan and yet he couldn't dispose of this one little bug? Sasuke could feel his rage burning in his veins as he continued releasing more _chakra_ watching his body undergo some horrifying transmogrification as he grew a pair of wings and his once black hair became a sickly blue. His fair skinned darkened into brown as his eyes became black with yellow irises. He had to stop Naruto now!

"What are you," Sasuke breathed heavily in horror as he watched a red _chakra_ shape itself around Naruto like some fox.

Soon, explosions echoed throughout the area as Sasuke and Naruto began throwing and trading blows with one another. Sasuke found himself so heavily frustrated by Naruto's sudden jump in power. How could someone like Naruto easily overpower him like that? He glared darkly at Naruto as he pushed himself and began rushing towards Naruto with black electricity crackling in his palm. Naruto, upon seeing that, soon summoned his own _chakra_ as it swirled up into a roaring sphere of pure energy. As Sasuke rushed in to destroy him, Naruto met with his own attack.

"NARUTO!"

"SASUKE!"

As a huge white light consumed them both, Naruto found his own power falling down in hopes just maybe some part of the Sasuke he always argued with existed. He took a look into Sasuke's eyes, feeling nothing but malice and hatred. As his blast missed, Naruto winced at the shockwave as all he remembered seeing was a pitch of black darkness.

Sasuke however felt no malice as he stood in front of his friend on the ground. He narrowed his eyes darkly at Naruto before preparing to walk away. As he walked away, the trees rustled as two more fighters appeared in the game. Sasuke chuckled lightly as he turned around to see Taichi and Gray who managed to catch up with Naruto, both who had taken quite a beating. Sasuke stared amusedly at Gray's horribly damaged body and his torn clothes while Taichi had messed up clothes but barely any wounds.

Taichi let his _chakra_ flow into his eyes, revealing a draconic glare. "Hey, cockatoo head! Is this how you treat all your friends!?"

Sasuke glared at him with a sardonic chuckle. "Who are you to tell me what I should do, lizard?"

Taichi clenched his hands into fists, preparing to launch himself at Sasuke. "Oh yeah, I'm all fired up! I'm gonna beat your ass...!"

Before he could lunge, Gray immediately placed his hand in front of him and shook his head defiantly at Taichi.

"What the hell are you doing," Taichi spat venomously at his partner, letting his body ooze out with _chakra_. "I can take this high and mighty bastard!"

Gray shook his head, flinching slightly at the purple _chakra_ streaming out of Sasuke's body. "We're in no condition to fight him. At the same time, he's loaded with chakra; I don't think we can anticipate his moves with so much chakra streaming from every end of his body."

Taichi clucked his tongue in annoyance, lowering the amount of _chakra_. "Tch. But don't you have an advantage here?"

Gray shook his head, glancing at his wounds and Taichi's. "Our only objective is to save Naruto, nothing else."

Taichi smirked and cracked his knuckles in delight, getting ready to beat the daylights out of Sasuke. "But they didn't say for us to not kick his ass."

Gray bit his lower lip, resisting his own urge to thrash Sasuke. "Don't be so headstrong. We're in no condition to fight him, we both just got into a fight with high class criminals and you want us to fight him now? Are you crazy?"

Taichi kept quiet after this and realized Gray had a point. If anything, they would barely be anything to Sasuke right now considering how badly battered both their bodies were. When he had found Gray, he saw the Gothic Lionel train that Gray had summoned shattered into pieces and a brown white haired man lying on the ground frozen and dead. Jirobu had taken chunks out of him and Chouji and if it were not for the Attack pills Chouji kept in his pocket and his unlimited supply of _chakra_ and diamond scales – he knew they'd be done for.

Sasuke chuckled in amusement, turning away as Gray and Taichi slung Naruto onto their shoulders. "Hyuuga Gray…I'll be looking forward to fighting you in combat."

He vanished into the darkness leaving Gray and Taichi to pick up Naruto and go back home.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Finally, I finished rewriting this whole thing. Gah, it was the worst! Hopefully I managed to fix the English and it doesn't sound so bad anymore. Please don't forget to review!**


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